Dance With Me
by Lil' Tapioca Sunshine
Summary: To love is to learn...to learn is to live. Tohru and Yuki both have doubts about true love, but when they meet, they discover that love needs to be fought for. Will they risk breaking their hearts and dance for their love? Please R&R!
1. A New Beginning

Dance With Me

By Lil' Tapioca Sunshine

A/N: This story is based on my personal experiences over one summer…just tweaked a little in order to fit the characters of Fruits Basket into it. I don't own Fruits Basket but I do own this story! There are lyrics in this story from popular songs but all of the poems are original...by me!

_It's the heart, afraid of breaking, _

_That never learns to dance._

_It's the dream, afraid of waking, _

_That never takes a chance._

_It's the one who won't be taken, _

_Who cannot seem to give._

_And the soul, afraid of dyin', _

_That never learns to live._

"Mommy? You're gonna buy me ice cream right? This afternoon, when you come to pick me up from school. You promised!"

"I can't, sweetie. You have to do it on your own."

"Mommy, you promised you would always be with me, no matter what…I can't do it on my own. I can't, I can't, I CAN'T! MOMMY! Don't leave!"

The alarm clock woke her from her dream and she sat up with a start. It had been years since that old nightmare. She had almost forgotten. Who was she kidding? She will never forget. But what could have triggered it again?

Wearily, she shook her head as if to shake the thoughts out of her head. She felt like she hadn't slept at all. But she couldn't do anything about it now. Her class started at eight o'clock. Her CLASS! Panicking, she threw a glance at the clock and was horrified that she only had ten minutes to get to a class that was at least twenty minutes away without the likely morning traffic.

Jumping out of bed, she pulled the clothes that she had carefully picked out the night before off of the hangers. She threw them on and with fingers made clumsy by panic desperately buttoned her blouse. Still, despite her rush, she couldn't help glancing at her mirror. She stared at her reflection. Same old hair…just as straight and boring as ever. Same old mouth…same old chin…same old face. She paused when she looked her reflection in the eyes, and saw something that wasn't there before. Was it hope? Determination? She leaned closer to the mirror to see for sure.

BUMP!

"Ouch!"

"_Nothing's changed_," she thought, "_I'm just as clumsy as ever_." And with a sigh, Tohru Honda picked up her books and ran out the door.

Her morning had not improved but if anything, become even worse. She had arrived thirty minutes late with the teacher well into the lecture. After apologizing profusely, Tohru had been told to sit in the back in one of the seats remaining empty. Unfortunately, she could not see the notes that the teacher put up but did not dare to ask for a seat up front. When the class was finally over, Tohru again approached the teacher and meekly asked her forgiveness.

The teacher only scowled and said, "Miss Honda, right? In the future, I would appreciate it if you would make it to my lectures on time. I am only asking for common courtesy here. If you feel like this is too much to ask, I suggest you drop this class and go study elsewhere."

Tohru's eyes stung painfully from the teacher's sarcastic tone but she forced the tears back and replied earnestly, "I'm sorry, this won't happen again. I promise you. And, if it isn't too much to ask, do you have any copies of the notes that you were giving earlier? I wasn't able to see in the back."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that you will be coming on time from now on. As for the notes, I do not mean to sound harsh, but have you heard the phrase, 'Beggars can't be choosers?' I'm sorry but I have no extra notes for you, nor can I change your seat. Is that all you have to say? I'm running a bit late and have to run. Have a good day, Miss Honda."

With that, the teacher walked briskly out of the classroom, leaving Tohru by herself, overwhelmed and shocked. Never in her life had she been so rudely spoken to before. Yet just as she was about to allow herself to wallow in self-pity, she remembered…

"_She'll never make it past the first week."_

"_Ha, not even the first day."_

"_She doesn't know what it's like out there. The "Little Princess" has been pampered all her life. Her father gives her whatever she wants. She has maids to cater to her every whim. I don't think she even knows the meaning of the word "no."_

"_Miss Honda is not spoiled, though. She has always been considerate and kind to the maids…like her mother. She is also amazingly resilient like her mother. She may appear helpless and defenseless on the outside, but she holds some of that fierce indomitable spirit inside of her. It just hasn't showed up yet. You watch, someday, Miss Honda will amaze us all."_

"_So you say, but I still have my money on her giving up after the first day."_

"_I'll raise you five dollars and I say she'll be calling Daddy for a limo ride home before the first day is even over."_

Tohru clenched her fists together and vowed, "I won't give up. I'll do it for you, Mom…and myself." She straightened up and unconsciously tugged on a strand of her hair while thinking, "_Haven't I been waiting all my life to get out of that house and be on my own? None of them think I can do it, not even Daddy. I know they all think I can't stand on my own. Daddy only agreed to this because he was feeling guilty about forgetting my birthday. I know that he thinks this is ridiculous too_. _But who cares what they think? As long as I believe in myself, I can do it…right?_"

She picked up her books and started walking out the door. She looked at her watch. Class had ended early. She still had half an hour before lunch would be served at home. Shrugging, Tohru decided to explore the campus. It was a beautiful day and the trees provided shade from the bright sun.

As she walked, she drifted back into her thoughts, "_Am I just fooling myself, Mom? I mean, I've never been on my own before. Look what a mess I've made of it so far. The first day, and I managed to be late to class and offend the teacher too. But I can't back down now, I just can't! Not when everyone is watching, waiting for me to fail. No, I won't let you down Mom!_"

"YIKES!"

Tohru stopped herself, mere inches before crashing into a pole. Several passerby's were giving her curious looks and she quickly blushed pink under their scrutiny. She had better pay more attention to where she was walking or else she wouldn't be so lucky next time. As she looked around, Tohru's attention was caught by a beautiful cathedral-like building with rows of windows and a sign above the entrance that read, "Library." "_Wow,_" she thought, "_it looks so peaceful and serene. I wonder if I'm allowed to go in there?_" Taking a breath, she pulled the heavy door open with effort and stepped inside. She was greeted by a _swoosh_ of cold musty air that smelled of books and she smiled, "_Maybe I'll actually meet someone nice here._" Little did she know what was waiting.


	2. Fairy Tales aren't True

A/N: Thanks for the reviews and reminding me to update again…haha. I don't know how often I will be able to update after school starts, but I'll try to make it at least once every month. For now, enjoy!

Dance with Me

By Lil' Tapioca Sunshine

Tohru looked around the inside of the library. It was just as beautiful as it looked on the outside. There were windows everywhere she looked and the sunlight streamed in like warm beams of golden honey. Tohru's breath caught in her throat at the beautiful view. Her room at home had an entire wall of windows but somehow, this library had such an aura of old-world romance and mystery that made it different.

Realizing that she had been standing at the same spot for quite a while, Tohru began walking towards the study area. She wanted to get give herself some time to read over her book because she had missed the notes. Sighing, she realized that she now had to take her own notes from the book and study twice as hard because she was already behind. Walking briskly to an empty table, she set her books down and plunked herself down into a chair. Sighing deeply again, she began to study.

Half an hour later, Tohru's concentration was already beginning to wane. She blinked her eyes and then rubbed them wearily. Biology really was not the most fascinating subject, but she hoped to become a pediatrician and it was a required course. Deciding that she probably wouldn't get much studying done in her current condition, she gave herself a break to look around and explore.

The first thing that caught her eye were the many signs, "NO TALKING," "SILENCE IS GOLDEN," and "YOUR NEIGHBOR APPRECIATES YOUR SILENCE." Repressing a giggle, Tohru mused that the facilitators of this library were obviously very big on a quiet environment. Next, her curiosity got the best of her and she began looking at the people sitting near her. It was one of her habits and hobbies to people-watch. Most of the tables were empty or only had one person. Disappointingly, none of the people looked very interesting.

"_They're probably very nice people, Tohru,_" she told herself. Still, she couldn't help being a little disappointed. She was so hoping that she would meet someone interesting.

Realizing there was one more table to her far left that she had not looked at yet, she glanced, and her heart stopped for a beat.

Sitting alone at the table was the most beautiful boy she had ever seen. Her heart thumped painfully and she realized she had been holding her breath. Letting it out slowly, she leaned forward to get a better view. His hair was dark and it hung over his face, hiding his eyes from her view. But she caught sight of his straight nose, high cheekbones, and delicately structured jawline. Luckily, he was absorbed in studying his notes so he did not notice her looking at him…looking? Who was she kidding…this was full-fledged staring, jaw dropped and all.

"_Get a grip, Tohru Honda…it's not like you've never seen a cute guy in your life,_" she desperately tried to convince herself, "_but not like him…I've never seen anyone quite like him_."

He raised a slender hand to brush away the hair that was blocking her view of his eyes, revealing large, hauntingly beautiful violet eyes. She found herself mesmerized by those eyes. She had never seen such eyes. "_But then again_," she reminded herself, "_you've never seen anything like the rest of him either…_"

Her buzzing cell phone roused her from her reverie. She gasped, realizing that even though the phone was on vibrate mode, the buzzing could still be heard quite loudly by other people. She quickly grabbed the cell phone and answered it, huddling under the table, partly to muffle her voice, and partly to hide her burning cheeks.

"Hello" she whispered.

"Hey Tohru, it's Uo and Hana's here too."

"Oh, hi you guys, I'm so sorry but I can't really talk right now. Can I call you back?"

"Yeah, sure, only if you're not too busy. I mean, with you starting at this local college and all, we just wanted to make sure your first day went OK."

"You _are_ all right aren't you, Tohru?" Hana's voice floated in the background.

Smiling, Tohru pictured her two best friends, each trying to clutch the phone away from the other, and both with brows furrowed with worry. For her.

"Yes, yes, yes, of course I'm fine. Don't worry, I call you back later. Bye!"

"Bye! Talk to you later!"

Tohru hung up and glanced around, making sure no one had come to yell at her for breaking the "no talking" rule. Breathing a sigh of relief, she looked at her watch and thought, "_Oh no! I'm going to be late for lunch!_ _Daddy won't be happy at all!_"

Running in breathlessly, Tohru was greeted by the butler, who quickly took her coat and ushered her in.

"You're late, Miss. Your father has been waiting for quite a while, now."

Without pausing to catch her breath, Tohru nodded her thanks to the butler and walked as fast as she could to the dining hall. She would have run, but she knew the sound of her rapid footsteps would only irritate her father further. He had told her it was unladylike and unbefitting for a daughter of his to be gallivanting around like a horse everywhere she went. As if she even knew what "gallivanting" meant.

She reached the doorway and paused for a second before going in. "Hello, Daddy," she murmured tremulously.

Her father looked up, and with a pang, Tohru realized he looked much older than he was. Streaks of grey had invaded his hair and his face looked weary and tired. What had happened to the handsome, lively man she had known?

_He died when Mom died. The man I see here is just an empty shell._

He smiled, much to her surprise. She had thought that he would be upset that she had not been on time. Instead, he beckoned her to sit down. Tohru quickly approached the table and sat.

He cleared his throat, "Tohru, sweetie, I have a surprise for you. I know your birthday was last month and I've been a bit late on your present, but now I have it, and you are going to love it!"

Tohru's heart lurched with hope and she clenched her fists under the table…hoping, yet knowing the inevitable.

Her father reached for a rustling package and handed it to her, beaming with the certainty that his daughter would love it.

Tohru's heart dropped and she fought to keep the tears from flooding out. She accepted the gift and slowly unwrapped it, preferring to concentrate on the tissue paper rather than her father's cheerful smile. She found a velvet box, quite expensive-looking, at the bottom of the package. She opened it and gasped; snowy-white pearl earrings with a hint of pink blush. They were beautiful…they were perfect…they were such a disappointment.

"Daddy, they're beautiful. Thank you."

Her father gestured grandly with his hands and dismissed her thanks with a wave of his hand. "Anything for my precious daughter. Happy birthday, honey." He glanced at his watch and sighed, "I'm sorry, sweetie. I wanted to eat lunch with you and hear all about your first day but I really have to run. I didn't know your class would take so long. Don't wait up for me, OK? I have a business trip and I'll be out of town for at least two weeks. Oh, and I almost forgot, I meant to give you this," and he handed her a one-hundred dollar bill.

With that, he stood up, grabbed his briefcase and swept past Tohru without waiting for her reply. Tohru stayed in her chair, a bit dazed by his rapid speech. Then, slowly the tears began to trickle out until she started sobbing silently. She stared at the beautiful earrings and suddenly swept them off the table.

_Daddy, why can't you understand? I don't want more jewelry, and I don't need your money. I just want YOU. When was the last time you spent any time with me, just listening? _

_I want you to stay with me._

_I want you to talk about Mom with me._

_I want you to look at me…I'm not a little girl anymore. You can't just brush me off with jewelry or money or clothes. I need you Daddy._

_Every year, I hope…hope that you will finally understand. Why won't you look me in the eye? Why do you shower me with gifts when all I want is your love? Why do you leave me for weeks at a time? I might as well be an orphan…you and Mom have both left me. Don't you love me anymore? You used to tell me stories every night…_

_The fairy-tale prince and princess…living happily ever after. _

_The knight in shining armor rescuing the damsel in distress._

_They were all lies, weren't they? There's no such thing as happily ever after and there's no Prince Charming out there ready to rescue me. _

Tohru jumped at the sound of the butler's voice, "Miss Tohru? Are you all right?"

She quickly wiped her tears, but not quickly enough. "Why, Miss Tohru, have you been crying?"

She shook her head, then gave up and nodded.

"Well, I don't know what this is all about, but I know your father wouldn't like to see you cry. And neither…neither would your mother."

At the mention of her mother, Tohru glanced up at the butler, surprised that he would speak of her. Her father had forbidden any talk of Tohru's mother ever since her death.

"Your mother, Miss Kyoko, was so lively, so vibrant. She brought life and laughter whenever she walked into a room. Maybe that's why your father took it so hard after she died. It was like she took all of that energy along with her, and maybe some of his, too. He lost his will to live, not that he ever considered going after her. No, your father is a responsible man and he would never leave you all alone. He just buried himself in work and tried to get away from this house as often as possible, where he and your mother shared so many memories together. And you, Miss Tohru, you may look like your father, but you hold so much of your mother inside of you. It isn't that he doesn't love you, Miss Tohru; he loves you more than you could know or understand, just as any parent loves his child. But you remind him of your mother, and he just is not ready to face those memories yet. Don't worry; someday, he will realize just how special you are and that it's because you have your mother inside of you that you are even more precious."

Tohru impulsively hugged the butler, who turned red with embarrassment and surprise with himself as much as her sudden gesture.

"Thank you…thank you so much," Tohru whispered, "I'll remember that."

_Thank you, Mom, for giving me the hope that maybe someday, Daddy will finally see me instead of your shadow…and for giving me the strength to keep on working hard until that day._

A/N: So, this chapter was considerably longer than the last one, but it just seemed to write itself. I wanted to have a little more interaction between Yuki and Tohru but it didn't work out that way. I don't know…I kind of like this too, because it shows some insight into Tohru and her father's relationship and also the basis for Tohru's attitude towards love: wary but hopeful. In the next chapter, I'm going to be writing from Yuki's point of view. By the way, I still haven't decided yet on a happy or sad ending. Keep reviewing and let me know what you think! I know sometimes it seems like it doesn't make much of a difference whether you review or not, but it really, really does. I appreciate all of the reviews I've received so much and it's what makes me crunch down to write another chapter. So...review, OK?


	3. Long Brown Hair and Stars

A/N: Ok, so here is my next chapter. Writing this story has proven to be a little harder than I expected, because as I mentioned before, it's drawn from personal experiences. But anyways, don't worry, I'll plod on through. As for whether or not the curse will be incorporated in the story, um…that's a secret! You'll have to keep reading to find out! So, on to the story!

"_Look at you, you're a freak. No one wants to be around you…if they knew what you truly were, they would all run away from you. You'll never be normal…NEVER."_

_Never…_

_Never…_

_Never…_

"Never…never…NEVER!" Yuki Sohma sat up, gasping and sweating. He realized he was still clutching the sheets tightly and gradually relaxed his hands.

Yuki inwardly shuddered. _What brought that on?_ And then he chuckled bitterly…_Akito was right, I may have left the house but I'll never escape the cage. _

Yuki sighed and looked at the clock. It read 3:00 a.m. in glowing red letters. Running his fingers through his hair, he groaned in frustration and jumped up from bed. He knew the chances of him getting back to sleep were slim and even if he did, he would have to face the nightmare again.

He first stripped off the sweat-soaked shirt he had been wearing and rummaged around for another one he could wear. Finally finding one, he flicked on the light and opened his books. _Might as well get some studying done…_

After a while, he found his mind wandering and gave up on the studying idea. He hated it anyways. He had never wanted to become a lawyer because he hated the idea of manipulating people and facts to influence lives. He hated the idea of lying to get his way. He hated the idea of playing people like puppets on a string, outwardly charming them with a smile or a look and inwardly plotting to trick or deceive them. And more than anything else, he hated the idea of being just like Akito.

Knowing this, Akito of course insisted on him entering law school. To prepare, he had to spend his summers taking advanced courses in debate and logical thinking, even though he was still in high school. Yuki agreed on one condition: allow him to leave the main house and live with his cousins. Surprisingly, Akito agreed…_only because he knew I would never be able to escape his control. _

Frustrated by his endless thoughts on a matter he couldn't change, Yuki tried to turn his thoughts onto something else. _What would a normal boy my age think about? Cars? Girls? _He laughed to himself. Akito had often taken advantage of his lack of interest in girls by making a few insults, insisting that that only showed how different he was from everyone else.

_Girls? What is there to think about girls? Like that one in the library today…silly thing. Gawking at me like that, thinking I didn't know. As if I was a circus animal or something. And then, how she started blushing when her cell phone rang. How odd…I don't think I've ever seen anyone get embarrassed so easily. Her cheeks were bright red, well maybe not bright red…more of a rosy pink. It matched her shirt…_

Yuki shook his head vigorously to clear his thoughts. _What am I thinking? I really do need to get some more sleep…this is ridiculous. Otherwise, I might really go crazy._

He headed towards his bed, but found that he still could not fall asleep.

_She had long brown hair…it swept against her cheeks._

_She's not really beautiful at all…but her eyes...just plain brown, right? But somehow, they shone with something when she laughed. They looked like stars…_

Yuki groaned in frustration. Why couldn't he get this girl out of his head? He was asking for trouble when he started on this topic. At this rate he wouldn't ever be able to get to sleep. He flipped over onto his stomach and grabbed the pillow. Placing it over his head, he forced his eyes closed and kept all thoughts out of his head except "_Go to sleep…go to sleep…go…to…sleep._"

The next morning, Yuki woke up and headed for school. On the way, he rubbed his eyes wearily, trying to remember what had happened last night. All he could remember was something about long brown hair and stars…and that he was restless. Somebody jostled him in the back and teased, "Hey Yuki, rough night last night?"

Yuki turned and smiled a polite smile, "Oh, just had a little trouble getting to sleep," inwardly thinking, _You have no idea…_

A/N: Yay, done with another chapter. So, I've kind of shown what Yuki's attitude is right now. Next chapter, don't worry, we'll finally have some Yuki-Tohru interaction! I'll also introduce some other members of the Sohma family. Even if you've already reviewed, keep reviewing and telling me what you think and any areas of improvement! It's a lot more important than you think! And if you haven't reviewed yet, now's your chance!


	4. Love at First Sight or Not?

A/N: Ok, so this is the fourth chapter, and I'm just wondering…so far, my chapters have all been kind of long and it just seems to come naturally. But if you guys would prefer shorter chapters with more frequent updates, I could do that, too. Just let me know!

Tohru stepped into the classroom, taking a deep breath as she found her seat. She was not looking forward to another confrontation with the teacher and hoped to avoid it if at all possible. No such luck.

"Well, well, Miss Honda, looks like you decided to show up on time today. Class, why don't we all give a round of applause to our dear Miss Honda?"

The class dutifully clapped and the teacher smirked. Tohru sank further down into her seat miserably. The person in the seat next to her snorted in amusement, "Looks like the teacher's got it out for you, huh?"

Tohru glanced over in surprise. The boy who had spoken was tall and had broad shoulders. His hair was a startling orange color and his eyes were reddish orange, too. She gaped for a second before realizing that she had been rudely staring, "Oh…um…well, I guess I just need to work twice as hard, right?" She chuckled nervously; somehow, this boy made her uncomfortable.

"Um…my name's Tohru Honda, I'm pleased to meet you. And what's your name?"

"Kyo, Kyo Sohma, not that it's any of your business."

"Heh heh," Tohru laughed nervously again, "well, it's very nice to meet you." She inwardly poked herself. Somehow, she had irritated this boy.

The teacher's loud, abrasive voice interrupted her thoughts, "Take out your pencils and erasers. We have a pop quiz today. I want to see how many of you really studied last night."

Tohru breathed a sigh of relief, _Thank goodness I studied extra-hard last night. Maybe the teacher will see that I really am serious about this class._

The teacher passed the tests down each row. Tohru scanned the problems and realized she knew the answers to all of them. She began filling in the answers when she felt an elbow nudge her on the side.

"Hey, you got an extra pencil?" It was the boy who had spoken to her earlier, Kyo.

She rummaged around in her bag but she couldn't find one. She turned back to Kyo, and whispered, "I'm sorry, this is the only one I have."

Unfortunately, the teacher happened to pass by at this exact moment. Gleefully, she marched over to Tohru's desk and demanded, "What is this? Talking during a test? Miss Honda, I'm sure I don't have to remind you the consequences for cheating. I'm sorry, but I cannot allow you to finish this test. Please stand up and leave."

"I…I wasn't cheating…I was just—" Tohru protested.

"ENOUGH! I know what I saw, and lying is not helping your case, Miss Honda. You're lucky I haven't dismissed you from this class. Now, please, leave. I don't want to see you again today."

"Please, just let me explain…I honestly wasn't cheating."

"So they all say, yet did I not just see you speaking during a test? If that isn't cheating, what is?"

"BANG!"

Kyo had slammed his hand against his desk and stood up, "She wasn't cheating, you old hag. She was telling me she didn't have an extra pencil because I asked to borrow a damn pencil! Now, if you don't believe her, that's your problem. But I'm telling you right now, she wasn't cheating, damn it! If you're gonna punish anyone, then it's gonna be me."

The teacher's face turned beet red with rage, but then she calmed down and plastered on a fake smile, "Well, isn't that sweet? Hmm…you're right, it does take two to cheat. Well, if you insist, then BOTH of you get out."

Tohru frantically shook her head, "No, no, it wasn't his fault, I—"

"SHUT UP…you twit," yelled Kyo, "I don't give a damn about this class anyway."

"OUT!" screamed the teacher.

Once outside, Tohru hung her head miserably while walking alongside Kyo.

_What have I done, Mom? Now, not only have I messed myself up, I dragged another person into it, too. _

"I…I'm so sorry, Kyo," Tohru apologized in a trembling tone.

"Will you please just SHUT UP? I told you, I don't care about that damn class or that old hag or you for that matter, so just leave me ALONE!"

"Kyo, wait, Kyo!"

He had run off. Now, she was completely alone. Slowly, she walked along until she realized she had somehow made her way home. She was surprised by the many police cars parked in front of her house. _Has something happened?_

Tohru rushed inside and tried to find the butler. "Have you seen—"

The maids rushed past her without even a second glance.

_What has happened here? Why is everyone in such a rush?_

She gasped when she saw someone being carried out by a stretcher. Desperately elbowing her way through the scuttling crowd, she managed to catch a glimpse of the injured person. It was the butler.

"What happened here? Please, will someone tell me what's going on?"

Finally, a maid stopped to inform Tohru, "Earlier, a burglar broke in. The security guards were off in the back and the only one here was the butler. He tried to block the burglar but he was knocked aside and he hit his head on the staircase. The paramedics are taking him to the hospital right now."

In shock, Tohru rushed to the butler's side. "Please, can you hear me? Please…wake up."

The butler's eyes fluttered open and he weakly replied, "Miss Tohru? Is that you? You have to listen to me. Your father heard what happened and he ordered that you immediately move out of the house. It isn't safe right now and we still haven't caught the burglar. Don't worry about me, I will be fine. Just promise me that you will pack your bags and leave as soon as possible. You do have friends you can stay with, right?"

"I…yes…I do, I mean, yes, I will. I will be fine." Tohru was so flustered she couldn't even find the right words to say.

"Good…good, now my mind is at ease. Be a good girl, Tohru." The butler's eyes fluttered closed again and the paramedics hauled him off to the ambulance.

Half an hour later, Tohru held two bags stuffed with her belongings. She had quickly packed all of her essentials, but now, she had no idea where to go. She had told the butler that she had friends to stay with, but really, she didn't.

_Uo lives in such a small, cramped apartment. I couldn't burden her further…and Hana's family already has six people. They really don't have room for another person. Oh, Mom, what am I going to do?_

Sighing, Tohru slowly walked away from the house. _No sense in staying here; I promised that I would find somewhere else to stay. _

She headed towards the park so that she could have a quiet place to think. Once there, she found a bench and set her bags down.

"Oof…" she rubbed her hands where the straps had cut into her and left two red marks.

Unfortunately, this just was not Tohru's day. A droplet of water dripped down. Tohru looked up. She groaned in despair. The sky was quickly being covered by thick gray clouds and it was already beginning to sprinkle.

She looked around for a place to avoid the rain but the best she could find was a densely-leaved tree.

The rain began to drop faster in big plops. Her hair was already damp and her bags were quickly soaking up the water too.

Deciding there was nothing she could do, Tohru quickly grasped the straps of her bags and winced in pain as they cut into her hand again. She hauled them up and ran for the tree.

Once under, it was a little drier, but the rain still managed to pound through the leaves and soon, Tohru was soaked through. She shivered as a breeze picked up and her wet clothes clung to her. _Mom, I'm really in for it now. What am I supposed to do though?_

Suddenly, Tohru did not feel the rain anymore. _Has the rain stopped?_ She glanced up hopefully…and realized there was an umbrella above her head. She gasped in her surprise and then realized someone had approached her from behind and was holding an umbrella over her. Whirling around, she came face to face with…the boy from the library.

"I…thank you…but…oh no! You're getting wet now. Don't worry about me, I'm already wet, but look, you're getting wet too and…" Tohru started babbling.

The violet-eyed boy looked at her curiously but said nothing.

"Oh please, don't go to any trouble on my account. You're getting all wet, and I…and I…" Tohru felt faint. Suddenly she swayed and then all of the day's events finally caught up to her and she fainted.

Tohru woke up and found herself in an unfamiliar room. _Where am I?_

She looked around and was startled when the door opened. The violet-eyed boy smiled at her.

"Oh good. You're awake. Now you can go take a hot shower and change into some dry clothes."

"But…but how did I get here? Where am I?"

"You're at my apartment. Earlier, you fainted at the park and I carried you here since I didn't know where you live."

"Oh, thank you so much. I'm sorry I've caused you so much trouble."

"It was no trouble at all. Don't worry about it. And your bags are in the living room. Just take a shower and then we can talk later."

Tohru was a bit overwhelmed by the sudden whirl of events and all she could do was nod and offer up a weak smile of thanks.

Yuki sighed. The girl was tiring to be around. She always seemed to be babbling something or other.

_What was I thinking bringing a girl here?_

_But she fainted…what was I supposed to do? Just leave her there?_

She was heavier than she looked. Carrying her had been no easy task. He had to be extra careful not to hold her too close or he would have transformed. The sidewalk was slippery from the pouring rain. He had gotten soaking wet. And then, he had had to go back for her bags. All in all, it was not a pleasant experience. He was surprised at himself for making such efforts for this complete stranger.

_Why did I even go up to her in the first place? I guess I was just asking for trouble…but she looked so fragile there, soaking wet and shivering. She seemed so grateful though for a small thing like that. _

"Um…excuse me?" The girl had emerged from her shower. Unfortunately, she only had a towel wrapped around her body. She was slightly blushing, clearly uncomfortable with the situation.

Yuki's breath caught for a second. She was…stunning. _How could I have thought her plain?_ Her long brown hair shone with beads of water and her face had a pretty rose-tinted flush. Her shoulders were milky-white and the hand that clutched the towel tightly about her was delicate with long, slender fingers. _Her towel…her clothes!_

Yuki snapped to attention and he was irritated at himself for losing focus for a second.

"Um…I'm sorry to be a bother but I don't have any dry clothes…"

Smiling politely, Yuki replied, "Oh, no, it's my fault. I should have thought of that. You can borrow some of my clothes while your own clothes dry."

Glad for the excuse to get away, Yuki quickly walked into his own bedroom and searched for some clothes for her to wear. _What is wrong with me? I've seen plenty of girls and none of them have interested me. I'm acting like…like Shigure! _Wrenching a pair of shorts and a shirt from his drawers, Yuki hurried back to the room where she was still waiting. He handed her the clothes and told her she could change in the bathroom.

Nodding her thanks, she quickly took the clothes and scuttled back into the bathroom. Yuki sighed and for the second time that night, seriously regretted bringing this girl back to his apartment.

A/N: Wow…this was such a long chapter. Sorry, hope you don't mind. On a side note, I just wanted to say, it was really hard for me to actually type "damn" because I'm very anti-cursing, but I thought it would be out-of-character for Kyo to have squeaky clean language, so I put it in. I wanted to introduce some more characters, but it just didn't happen. So, that's my goal for the next chapter. I finally did get some conversation between Yuki and Tohru. Don't worry, even though Yuki is very anti-girl right now, he'll have a change of attitude soon! By now, I hope you've figured out that yes, the curse is in the story. There will be other aspects of the original story that will be in this story too. So, be looking for those.


	5. What is going on here?

A/N: Hi, so it's been a while (but hopefully not too long) since I last updated. I don't want to keep you waiting so I guess I'll post the replies to the reviews at the end of this chapter. On to the story!

Meanwhile, in the bathroom, Tohru was changing and peered at herself in the mirror. She sighed.

_What have I gotten myself into, Mom? Here I am, in the bathroom of a guy I don't even know. I don't know his name, I don't know where I am and I don't know how I got here…wait I do know that. He said he carried me, didn't he? He must be strong to carry me so far…and it was raining. _

She sighed again and pulled the shirt over her head. Opening the door, she stepped briskly out. He was standing there with his back turned towards her. It looked like he was thinking.

"Um…I'm sorry again for all this trouble I'm causing you."

He jumped at the sound of her voice and whirled around. Relaxing, he smiled, "Oh, didn't I tell you, it's no trouble at all. Are you all dry?"

Nodding, Tohru was just about to reply when she suddenly lost her balance and for the second time that day, she was falling.

Yuki instinctively reached out to steady her.

POOF!

A cloud of smoke blurred her vision, and by the time Tohru regained her balance, the boy was nowhere to be seen.

_Huh? He was just here…where could he have gone?_

Looking down, she was surprised to see a little gray mouse standing at her feet. He was surrounded by a pile of…clothes?

_Oh my gosh, aren't those Yuki's clothes? But that means…_

BANG!

The door slammed open and an orange cat darted in with its fur slightly matted with rain. A black dog followed him soon after. It shook the rain off. At first, they did not notice Tohru and the cat was angrily muttering something like, "Stupid dog…stupid rain…why did it have to rain?" The dog did not comment but was snorting with what sounded strangely similar to a laugh.

_Wait a minute, Tohru…disappearing people, talking cats, laughing dogs? You must be going crazy…_

Suddenly, the cat and dog noticed her presence and their jaws dropped in surprise. The cat was the first to speak, "What are YOU doing here?"

_You mean he really does talk?_

"I…I…I'm sorry. I didn't know…what…who are you?" Tohru stuttered.

"It doesn't matter who I am. I live here, and you don't and so I'm asking you what you're doing here."

The dog now interrupted, "Now, now, Kyo, is that any way to speak to a fine lady?"

_I can't believe I'm having a conversation with a cat and a dog. Kyo? Isn't that the name of that guy who…_

The dog was gaily unaware of Tohru's discomfort and confusion. He went on, "Now, please tell us, what is your name?"

Tohru was flustered for a second. After all, she had never introduced herself to a dog before. Still, that was no reason to be rude, "My name…" she cleared her throat nervously, "my name is Tohru Honda. I'm pleased to meet you…um…sir."

POOF! POOF! POOF!

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" Tohru screamed.

"Oh, I didn't see anything, nope nothing at all. I must be going crazy! I'm going to open my eyes, and everything will be normal and I will be in my own room just having a nightmare."

She cautiously peeked through her eyes. Unfortunately, she was not at home. Luckily, the three men who had just been naked had gotten dressed and were now looking at her with various expressions. The boy who had carried her earlier had a face that was unreadable but showed signs of tension. There were two other men. One looked slightly older and had dark hair that fell in his eyes a bit. He wore an old-fashioned kimono and was looking at her in amusement. The other was…she gasped.

_It really is the guy from my class…Kyo Sohma. But…that means…he's a cat?_

He was glaring at her with an unmistakable air of disgust and anger.

The older man seemed unfazed by all this…no, indeed, he seemed to be enjoying the whole scene.

"Well, well," he clapped his hands together ceremoniously, "Now that the lovely lady here has introduced herself, I believe it is our turn. I'll go first, my name is Shigure Sohma."

He looked expectantly at Kyo. Seeing Kyo's expression, he chuckled nervously and said, "Ok, and this is my cousin, Kyo Sohma. Don't mind him, he's just in a bit of a bad mood right now."

His gaze now turned to the other boy who had thus far remained silent.

Sighing, the boy said, "My name is Yuki Sohma." He did not elaborate further.

_Sohma, Sohma, Sohma?_

"So you're all related?"

Shigure beamed enthusiastically, "Yes, yes, we're all cousins. Just all one happy family."

"Save it," Kyo snapped at him.

Yuki looked at her and Tohru once again found herself entranced by his violet eyes.

"Miss Honda, I guess we have some explaining to do."

"I, well, yes, I mean…only if you want to…I mean…if you don't want to, I understand," Tohru started babbling.

"Shut up!" Kyo yelled, cutting her off.

Yuki looked in surprise at his cousin. For once, he was thankful for his presence. The girl's incessant apologizing was something he did not know how to deal with and he could feel himself tensing up every time she started babbling another long string of words.

Tohru was now sitting intently on the ground with her legs crossed, waiting to hear their explanation.

_Where do I even start? _Yuki thought.

A/N: Ok, I'm going to cut it off right there because it seemed like a good ending place…haha I'm lying. More like I'm running late for my piano lesson and I still need time to answer all those reviews. I promise the next chapter will have lots of explanations and hopefully Yuki's attitude will turn around. I keep meaning to make him less antisocial but he's not fully in my control. Oh well, he'll see the light eventually.

Girl Pika: I'm glad you like the story so far and thanks for the compliment. I do try to keep the people in character as much as possible and it's fun imagining what would happen in that kind of situation.

deadlykitty: Sorry if it wasn't clear, but I was trying to write it to show how Kyo really does care about Tohru or at least he doesn't want to see her unfairly punished, but being the macho, unwilling-to-show-his-emotions type, he refuses to admit that and so he pretends like he doesn't care about anything.

yukirufan749: Haha, thanks for reviewing. Hope this update was soon enough for you. I'll try to make the next one by the end of this week. I love Yukiru too!

yoshiru: Thanks for the suggestion. I didn't have to use it in this one since Kyo didn't really have much to say, but I'll keep it in mind for future chapters. Hope you keep reading! And don't worry, Yuki won't stand a chance against the inevitable, falling in love with Tohru! He's already falling for her…

3xThreat: Thank you so much for reviewing and I'm having a lot of fun writing this story not only because it helps me get my thoughts out but also because so many people have been nice enough to review. By the way, I read one of your stories, and it was really good! I hope to read more of them in the future!

KittyofPiratesSwoop: You're very welcome and thank YOU for the review! Please keep reviewing and reading.

Chaka the Chopstick Ninja: Ahaha…your reviews always crack me up…in a good way. Anyways, thanks for reviewing all four chapters so far and for all of the nice things you said. Hope to hear from you again!

kahel09: Thanks for your funny reviews…they always make me laugh. I love Yuki and the reason I started writing this fic was because I met a real-life Yuki…haha if that makes any sense. Anyways, yeah, if I had someone staring at me like that, I would either be melting (if the guy was cute) or sweating (if the guy looked like the psychopathic stalker type). As to happy ending, sad ending…I'm still not sure. Haha…personally, I like reading happy endings too, but we'll see.

Remmy Sohma: The funny thing is, you said you can't wait to find out what happens next, but really, I can't either. Honestly, I have a general idea of where I want the story to go, but it always changes on me, so each chapter is kind of like a surprise for me too. Anyways, hope you keep reading and bear with me if it seems like I'm a little lost.

Katontheedge: Aha! I introduced Shigure in this chapter and I'll try to fit in Haru in the coming chapters. I do try to keep everyone in character as much as possible, but sometimes it's hard to fit that in with the plot, too. Thanks for the advice, though. Hope you keep reading! (and reviewing!)

mangaluver749: Thanks a lot! I hope this update was quick enough. Keep looking for updates because I'll try to post them as frequently as possible.

Jess-chan of the Nya Nya Neko: I hope this chapter and the last answered your questions about the curse and I'll go into more detail probably in the next chapter. I was debating about whether or not to include it, but I decided to because it is a crucial part of how the characters act and feel.

kitsunedemon: Thank you so much for the compliment! But I can't take all of the credit because a lot of the descriptions just come from real life and I'm just writing down what I see. Hope you keep reading the story and I look forward to hearing from you again!

Whew…that was a relief. I had felt bad for not answering any reviews and so now I've finally gotten around to it and if you reviewed more than once, thank you so much! I really appreciate it and keep doing it! But unfortunately, I wasn't able to answer each of your multiple reviews individually and so I just answered them all under your single name. Thanks again and I hope to update again very soon!


	6. She's Different

A/N: Whew…summer school is finally over and so I should have more time to update. Unfortunately, I'm going to be going to Philadelphia on the 17th and so I won't be able to update for at least two weeks after that. Then school starts, and so expect updates like once every one or two weeks, OK? I'll try my best!

----- ----- -----

An hour later, Tohru was still sitting on the ground, but she had a rather dazed expression on her face. She had heard every word that the three men had said, but she was still having trouble processing it. It all just seemed so unreal, like at any second, she would wake up and find that all of this had been some crazy Alice in Wonderland type of dream.

She pinched herself, just to make sure she was still awake.

"OUCH!"

Yup, she still was.

Yuki paused in his talking and looked over, "Miss Honda, are you alright?"

Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. _Why am I always getting myself into these embarrassing situations?_

She laughed nervously and waved her hand to reassure him, "Oh, I'm perfectly alright. I just…had a sudden twitch in my arm…hahaha…that happens all the time. Doesn't that happen to you sometimes? Oh well, probably not, but well, that's what happened. Anyways, don't let me interrupt you…keep talking, Yuki."

Yuki frowned and bit his lip, "Well, I think that is really all there is to tell." He looked at Shigure to see if he had anything to add.

Shigure shook his head, "Nope, I think that's it. Any questions, Tohru? I know this is a lot to process in such a short amount of time."

_No kidding…_Tohru thought.

"Well, I think I understand now. So your family has been cursed for generations? You can't be hugged by a member of the opposite sex or you will turn into a member of the Zodiac, right? And Yuki, you're a rat. Shigure, you're a dog, and Kyo…you're…you're a cat? But a cat isn't…"

Shigure winced and was about to stop the words from coming out of her mouth but he was too late.

"…a member of the Zodiac."

Kyo looked like he had been slapped, "Yeah, it's not," he mumbled.

Tohru was already saying something else, though, "I love the cat in the old story of the Zodiac! I always wanted to be a cat instead of a dog because I felt so sorry for the cat…I wanted him to know that he at least had one friend in me!"

She had a determined look on her face and in the midst of her speech, she had leapt up in her excitement. She did not notice the amused look on Yuki and Shigure's face or the shocked look on Kyo's.

She continued, "If there was a year-of-the-cat fan club, I would be definitely be a member."

Finally, Tohru looked around and noticed that everyone was silent.

Kyo gaped at her, "You…you would?"

Blushing, but still determined, Tohru nodded her head firmly and declared, "I would."

Shigure thought for a moment quietly for a moment, decided not to comment, and then inquired, "Tohru, it's getting late, and well, we would be glad to have you stay for the night since it's raining, but wouldn't your parents worry?"

"I…well, I can't really go home, and no, my parents wouldn't worry," Tohru looked down in shame.

"I really don't want to be a bother, but ifyouwouldletmestayforonenightjustonenightI-wouldreallyappreciateit."

Shigure looked confused, "I'm sorry, could you repeat that one more time please?"

Tohru took a deep breath and was about to begin again when Yuki cut in, "No need, Miss Honda. I understood. You can take my room and I will sleep on the couch. But may I inquire, what will you do after tonight if you have nowhere to stay?"

"I don't know. I have nowhere to go…but I'll find a way!"

Yuki was shocked to find himself say, "You already have…why don't you just stay with us? We have plenty of room, and after all, you have nowhere else to go…that is, if you don't mind staying with us."

Yuki was not the only one surprised. Tohru was stunned by the generous offer. Shigure and Kyo gaped at their cousin. For one thing, they had rarely heard him voluntarily speak so many words at once. For another, they had certainly never heard him so casually offer to help someone, and a girl at that…he usually tried to keep his distance from them.

"Well, of course, I don't mind. But…I…that would be too much trouble for you. I've already intruded and I couldn't possibly…" Tohru trailed off.

_But what choice do I have? I have nowhere to go…and this seems like the best offer I can get right now._

She smiled and took a deep breath, "Thank you…I am so grateful for your generous offer. I will stay on one condition. You have to let me do something for you in return."

Shigure clapped his hands together gleefully and exclaimed, "Wonderful, well, this is just a wonderful bargain. Tohru, can you cook and clean?"

Tohru was about to tell him that she had had no prior experience, but he did not wait for her reply.

"Oh, well, I'm sure you're just a wonderful little worker. But, look at the time…now, now, you still have classes tomorrow, do you not? Hurry off, go to sleep. We can talk more tomorrow."

----- ----- -----

Long after Tohru had gone to sleep, the three men were still in the living room. Yuki remained silent and stonily looked at the ground while Kyo and Shigure discussed the matter.

"She can't stay here…Akito won't allow it and she'll just get in the way anyways. We don't need some girl living with us…as if our apartment isn't already a mess."

"Kyo…Kyo," soothed Shigure, "you heard the girl, she has nowhere else to go. Besides, this is only temporary. I'll talk to Akito about it and I'm sure he will understand…that is, if he decides not to erase her memory."

Kyo and Yuki both stiffened, but Yuki remained silent.

Kyo, however, said, "This is all that damn rat's fault anyways…if he hadn't opened his big trap, this wouldn't have happened and we wouldn't have to deal with a stupid girl barging into our lives."

Finally, Yuki spoke up softly, "I remind you to keep your voice low, stupid cat. We wouldn't want to wake the 'stupid girl' now, would we? And may I remind you, who was it that ran in here in his cat form, talking and carrying on a conversation? If you hadn't come in like that, even though I had transformed, I could have found a way to explain it. How am I supposed to explain a talking cat?"

Kyo flushed angrily, "Well how was I supposed to know that she was here. I was coming back from the main house and it started raining. I thought it would be faster if I ran as a cat and then all of a sudden I saw Shigure who started laughing like an idiot. We came back and we found this…don't you dare blame this on me, you damn rat!"

Shigure hopped from one boy to the other, trying to calm him down. He saw that they were both ready to snap, "Well, well, it's been a long day for all of us, hasn't it? Why don't we just all calm down and go to sleep? This will all make more sense in the morning when we're nice and refreshed!"

He smiled brightly but both boys glowered at him.

"Heh…heh," he laughed and waved them on their ways.

Once they were gone, his smile immediately turned into a frown, _How am I going to explain this to Akito?_ He sighed deeply, _Well, better get some sleep…tomorrow's gonna be a long day._

----- ----- -----

Yuki lay on the couch. Once again, he couldn't sleep. Words and images flew through his mind…

_Tohru screaming in embarrassment as they transformed back…_

_Tohru listening intently with a furrow of concentration as he explained…_

_Tohru apologizing…repeatedly…_

_Tohru declaring she wanted to be a member of the year-of-the-cat fan club…_

_Stupid cat…that's probably the first time anyone has ever said they wanted to be his friend. Stupid girl, why would she want to be friends with a freak like him…like us? Why is she different from everyone else? Why doesn't she recoil in horror at us? Why don't we disgust her? We're all so different, we're…monsters…_

Akito's words floated into his mind, _"Look at you, you're a freak. No one wants to be around you…if they knew what you truly were, they would all run away from you. You'll never be normal…NEVER."_

_She didn't run, though…what if Akito was wrong, what if she could accept us, what is she could understand us, what if she could—"_

He cut himself off.

_Don't be ridiculous Yuki…no one will ever accept us, much less…_

----- ----- -----

Meanwhile, Kyo was also lying awake in the room across the hall.

_She didn't run away, or laugh, or even feel sorry for us._

_She said she wanted to be my friend._

_Could it be that she might actually…_

_Stop it, Kyo…you're being stupid. She's just like all of the other stupid girls out there. Brainless…all they know how to do is comb their hair and make themselves look pretty._

_But she said…_

He tossed back and forth in frustration. Why couldn't he get what she said out of his head?

_No one's ever accepted the cat into the Zodiac…I will never be a part of this family…_

He remembered Akito's sneer…

"_Kyo…poor little Kyo…don't you understand, Kyo, you'll never, NEVER belong. You'll never be a part of this family. Not only are you a freak because of the curse, you're a double freak because you're even an outcast in your own family…and that's the way you'll be forever! FOREVER…"_

"_Hahahaha double freak…double freak…"_

----- ----- -----

Shigure also lay sleepless.

_This girl, she's different. Besides the fact that she's really really cute…_

_SHIGURE, get a grip on yourself…_he smiled to himself.

_Besides the fact that she's really cute, she didn't react like anyone I've ever known. _

He chuckled.

_Year-of-the-cat fan club? That's a good one…I've gotta remember to tell that one to 'Tori and Aya…they'll get a kick out of that. Well, at least Aya will…I haven't seen 'Tori laugh since…_

_But when was the last time any of us ever laughed, really laughed because we were truly happy? Yuki, Kyo, even me, we're all just going through life without any laughter, any joy…_

_Maybe this girl will change all that…she's different, I can sense it…that is…if Akito…_

A/N: Honestly, I really like this chapter because it includes some of parts of the characters that I love best. I like Furuba characters because they're not one-dimensional stereotypical characters but they all have different aspects to them. Yuki isn't all icy politeness…Kyo isn't all macho manly-man…and Shigure isn't all perverted jokester. I feel so bad for all of them though…it's really kind of depressing to think about.

Anyways, on to the replies:

Chaka the Chopstick Ninja: Haha, yup, Akito is coming soon, but I don't know yet if I want him/her? to be a big part in the story plot or not. Anyways, yeah, I wish I could be Tohru sometimes…all those cute guys drooling over her? All those super-nice, super-loyal friends? Yup, she's one lucky-duck. I'm year of the horse too! High five! lol…I'm so hyper.

kitsunedemon: I'm glad you liked the last chapter. I was originally planning on making this chapter just the explanation with lots of confusion and Tohru's own Asian blondness, but I decided on writing it this way instead because I really wanted to actually make some head-way into the main plot.

Jess-chan of the Nya Nya Neko: Thanks a lot! I'm glad you liked the last chapter, hope you liked this one too. Was it too mushy? I don't know, I just can't help feeling so bad for the characters…even though they're just one-dimensional pencil and color drawings…haha go figure, I'm weird.

Black Rose of Wilmington: Thank you a lot a lot for the review! I'm glad you found it interesting and I hope you keep reading…let me know if you have any suggestions for improvement!

kahel09: Yup, so I'm done with another chapter. I don't know, though, when my next update will come. I kinda just write when something hits me or when ideas start going so fast that I have to write them down or I'll just pop…if that makes any sense. Anyways, thanks for the review!

Kyo's Favorite Kitty: Yeah, Yuki and Kyo make me sad too, but you can't really blame them. They really need some therapy…haha, but hopefully they will cooperate and be nice soon. They are making progress…

Girl Pika: Thank you, thank you, thank you! That was the nicest compliment I've gotten so far. Haha, I was inspired to write another chapter just because of that…or at least partly. :

Ixilight: Uhh…I think I get what you're saying. I don't know…sometimes I make no sense either, even to myself, haha. Yup, Tohru manages to get in trouble everywhere, but if she didn't, then it wouldn't be Fruits Basket, would it? On the other hand, sometimes, I really envy her, all of that trouble would be so worth it if I had so many cute guys liking me at the same time.


	7. A Hectic Morning

A/N: Hi everyone! Thank you for all of the beautiful reviews. sniff-sniff Honestly, though, I really do appreciate it a lot. Ok, I don't think I have any major announcements except that I think my computer may have a virus…hmmm…that can't be a good thing. Well, I can't really do anything about it since I know absolutely zip about how to fix a computer so I guess I'll just wait it out. Maybe it will be like the flu and just go away by itself…

----- ----- -----

Tohru woke up to the sound of someone banging on her door and yelling. A man…she couldn't really hear what he was yelling though, because it sounded rather muffled.

It was something like, "Let…of me…you…rat."

A different voice replied, "Don't you know it's rude to wake someone up by banging on her door?"

The muffled voice became clearer, "I don't care…she's gonna be late again and then I'm gonna be the one blamed so I'm doing my part and waking her up."

Both voices stopped abruptly as the door suddenly swung open and Tohru's sleepy face looked from one boy to the other.

Yuki had clamped his hand around Kyo's mouth and Kyo was in the process of flailing his arms to free himself.

"Good morning," Tohru smiled, "I hope the couch wasn't too uncomfortable for you, Yuki."

Yuki looked up at her in surprise. He dropped his arm from around Kyo's neck.

"Oh…good morning, Miss Honda. The couch? Oh, the couch…no of course not," he assured her, "it was perfectly fine."

Kyo muttered something about being late and then stalked off towards the kitchen.

Tohru gasped and her hands flew to her cheeks, "Oh no! I'm going to be late again!"

Quickly, she got dressed and looked at her watch, "Oh…no time for breakfast. The teacher's going to yell at me again. This is so humiliating…"

Yuki paused by her doorway on his way out, "Miss Honda? Are you alright? How are you planning on getting to school?"

Tohru groaned, "Oh, I forgot. There's no one to take me to school and I'll never make it walking."

"What am I going to do?" she wailed.

Seeing that she was on the verge of collapsing in tears, Yuki quickly thought, _What do I do, what do I do? I can't take her in my car, people will see, and then the questions will come, and…_

Glancing again at Tohru's tearful face, he sighed in resignation, "Miss Honda, I'll take you to school in my car."

Tohru immediately brightened, "Are you sure, I mean, I really don't want to cause any more trouble for you. You've already done so much for me!"

Yuki shook his head and forced a polite smile, "No, it's no trouble at all, Miss Honda. Are you ready now?"

Tohru scrambled to pull on her shoes and grabbed her books, "Um…yes, just let me, ahh!"

POOF!

"Oh, Yuki! I'm so sorry, I just tripped. Oh, I'm so clumsy, and now you're going to be late all because of me. This is all my fault…"

POOF!

Blushing deeply, Tohru quickly turned the other way as Yuki put his clothes back on.

"It's alright, Miss Honda. Accidents happen. Let's go now before we really do become late!"

----- ----- -----

Fifteen minutes later, a breathless Tohru dashed into the classroom, blurting apologies and explanations all at once. Suddenly, she looked up and realized the whole class was staring at her, as well as the teacher.

The teacher was…male?

_I distinctly remember our teacher was a woman…at least she was yesterday, maybe I really am going crazy._

The man was smiling at her and saying something.

Tohru shook her head to clear her thoughts.

"…just missed my introduction to the class. My name is Mr. Ota, and I will be replacing your former teacher. She…er…had some personal problems to deal with."

His bright smile faltered for a moment, before flashing even brighter, "So, I hope to get along wonderfully with all of you and we will if you simply follow the basic rules. No talking while I am, no chewing gum, and just do your own work."

He turned his attention back to Tohru, "And what is your name, young lady?" he asked with a dazzling smile shining with white teeth.

Tohru was a bit dazed by all of his overwhelmingly cheerful smiles. She had expected another bout of sarcastic jabs from the teacher, but instead she had been literally bombarded with his frighteningly bright grins.

_I don't really know which is worse, her comments, or his smiles?_

She was already a bit rattled from the drive to school. Yuki's seemingly calm outer shell hid a madman…at least when he was driving. Tohru shuddered at the memory of screeching wheels.

"_Yuki…don't you think we're going a little too fast?"_

"_You don't want to be late, do you?"_

Just at that moment, the door burst open and Tohru was rescued from her stupor. Kyo had arrived even later than her.

_Maybe I should get a ride from him next time, at least I know he doesn't drive like the Devil is chasing after him._

Mr. Ota frowned at the interruption and it was a bit of relief for Tohru to see that his face wasn't going to be permanently stuck in a smiling position.

Kyo did not seem surprised at all that they had a new teacher. He snorted to himself, "Akito sure knows how to get things done…when he wants to."

Tohru cleared her throat and Mr. Ota's attention turned to her again, "Um…my name is Tohru Honda, I'm pleased to meet you."

She bowed respectfully and Kyo snorted again.

_What kind of girl bows to her teachers?_

The class quickly flew by. Once Mr. Ota stopped smiling, he was able to get down to business and Tohru had to focus all of her attention to make sure she had copied all of the notes.

A/N: Sorry for the really short chapter, but a weird phone call got me really flustered. I can't even think right now, much less write. Basically, some random guy called, found out it was the wrong phone number and then told me I was going to die an early death, just like the person who gave him the wrong phone number. I know it doesn't sound like much, but he sounded so serious and I just really don't know what to do right now. I'll answer the reviews next time, OK?


	8. In the Silvery Moonlight

A/N: Thanks to all of my lovely reviewers and readers who are so patient! To make up for last time's embarrassingly short chapter, I decided to make this one extra long! Thanks again!

----- ----- -----

The door banged closed and Shigure looked up. He trilled, "Welcome home everyone!"

Yuki and Kyo glanced at him in distaste and walked into the kitchen to find something to eat, mumbling something like, "Stupid dog," under their breaths. Only Tohru cheerfully replied, "Hello Shigure!"

Shigure sniffled in gratitude and then immediately became serious, "Yuki, Kyo, stop grubbing out for a second and come into the living room. Tohru, no stay, you should hear this too."

The boys trooped in and sat down.

Shigure cleared his throat importantly, "Ahem…ahem."

Kyo yelled, "Get on with it, you stupid dog."

Pretending not to notice the last comment, Shigure continued, "So, as I'm sure you've all been breathlessly awaiting, the answer from Akito has arrived."

He paused and looked around to make sure everyone's attention was focused on him.

Shigure smiled in satisfaction. Kyo was looking the other way, seemingly absorbed in the plant in the corner, and Yuki was watching him with an unreadable expression. Both were obviously anxious to hear the news. Meanwhile, Tohru made no pretenses of indifference and was clutching her hands in anticipation.

"Well, Akito said…"

Tohru leaned forward in excitement.

"…she can stay, as long as she doesn't leak our secret."

Tohru jumped up and in her exhilaration, she pounced on Shigure and hugged him.

POOF!

"Oh…I'm so sorry, Shigure, I forgot…and I…"

The dog merely licked her cheek in reply.

Both boys leapt towards the dog and pulled him off. They then proceeded to pummel him.

"You PERVERT!"

"Don't ever, ever, do that again!"

"Now, apologize to Miss Honda."

Cowering on the ground, Shigure managed to whimper out, "I'm sorry, Tohru…" before…

POOF!

Tohru squeaked in surprise and quickly turned so that Shigure could pull his clothes back on. She waved her hands frantically, "Oh…don't worry about it Shigure, I didn't mind! Er…um…thank you for your concern, Yuki and Kyo."

Yuki sighed, "You are too kind, Miss Honda. You shouldn't be, certain people (glares at Shigure) will take advantage of that."

Tohru looked up at the clock, "Oh no! It's so late, I have to get dinner ready!"

----- ----- -----

Half an hour later, steaming bowls of fish, miso soup, and leeks were placed neatly on the table.

Yuki looked up in surprise, "Miss Honda, you didn't tell us that you were an expert cook."

Tohru blushed, "Well…to tell you the truth, I've never actually cooked before. I hope it isn't too bad."

Kyo groaned when he saw the leeks and had to stifle a gag. Shigure laughed silently when he noticed that Kyo made no complaints, despite his hatred for leeks.

Tohru announced, "Well, dinner is served. Eat up everyone!"

----- ----- -----

After many comments from Shigure about how much better this cuisine was compared to Yuki's burned rice, burned fish, burned everything, dinner was finished and the dishes were washed by Tohru.

Tohru then studied for a while before flicking off the light and settling down to sleep. She still felt guilty about taking Yuki's bed, but he had insisted, and she had been too tired to protest.

However, once she lay down, she found that she could not get to sleep. Thoughts drifted through her head…

_Everyone is so kind, to let me stay with them and compliment me on my cooking, even though I know it wasn't very good._

_These people…I didn't even know them a week ago, but they treat me like I'm one of them….like I'm part of their family. I've never had a family._

Her thoughts were interrupted by the faint sound of music.

_Some say love; it is a river, _

_that drowns the tender reed._

She got up from her bed. The music sounded like it was coming from outside.

_Some say love; it is a razor, _

_that leaves your soul to bleed._

She approached the window.

_Some say love; it is a hunger, _

_an endless aching need. _

Her heart stopped for a moment as she saw the moonlight reflecting off of silvery hair and slender frame.

_I say love; it is a flower, _

_and you its only seed. _

"Yuki," she whispered.

_It's the heart, afraid of breaking, _

_That never learns to dance._

He raised his arms high above his head and then he began to dance.

_It's the dream, afraid of waking, _

_That never takes a chance._

Tohru knew she shouldn't watch because it seemed like such a precious, private moment, but she couldn't help herself. Her breath caught in her throat as the lyrics seemed to flow into his body and he gracefully moved across the wet grass.

_It's the one who won't be taken, _

_Who cannot seem to give._

Without realizing it, Tohru's cheeks were wet with tears. The words touched her heart and left it with a sense of regret and longing.

_And the soul, afraid of dyin', _

_That never learns to live._

His dance ended, and although Tohru didn't know it, his bowed head also hid tears.

----- ----- -----

The next morning went much more smoothly than the previous one, but Kyo had been detained after class forseveral loudoutbursts during Mr. Ota's lecture. Yuki offered to walk Tohru home.

As they walked, Tohru commented on what a lovely day it was.

Yuki, walking alongside her, agreed politely while inwardly noticing that it was indeed a lovely day. The gentle breeze ruffled her hair and her faint blush reminded him of cherry blossoms.

_Get a grip, Yuki,_ he told himself.

Meanwhile, Tohru inwardly wrestled with herself.

_Should I confess that I saw him last night? But what if he thinks I'm a nosy busybody who spies on people in the middle of the night? But I don't feel right, not telling him about this…besides, he looked so sad…_

"Um, Yuki?"

Yuki turned toward her, "Yes, Miss Honda?"

His smile made her blush and she had to remind herself what she was about to say.

"Last night, I…I…sawyoudancingoutsideinthemiddleofthenightI'msorryIdidn'tmeantospyonyoubutIcouldn'thelpwatching."

Yuki blinked in surprise and then what she said dawned on him.

At first, he was embarrassed at being caught in such a vulnerable position, then angry that she had not minded her own business, and finally resigned, reminding himself that it was not her fault that she had heard.

"Yuki? I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to intrude on your private business. I mean, my mom always told me that people deserve to have their own time and their own place where they can be themselves and not worry about other people barging in. I guess I've barged in on your private space, haven't I?"

She looked down miserably and Yuki did not know what to say to comfort her.

"Miss Honda…it…wasn't your fault. In fact, I should apologize for interrupting your sleep. It's just that, sometimes, like you said, I need some of my own time to just think, and dancing has always been…"

He blushed, "You probably think I'm very strange, huh?"

"Oh, not at all! Everyone has their own way to relax, and besides…I thought your dancing was…beautiful. You just looked a little sad, though, Yuki. I don't mean to pry, but is there anything you need to talk about? I mean, I know we haven't known each other for very long, and I'm not very good at giving advice, but I'm willing to just listen if…"

Yuki's mind was racing.

_Why is it that I feel so compelled to tell her? She couldn't possibly understand what it's like to be me…and yet…she looks so sincere. She's not like those girls who pretend to care but only so that they can snap your picture or brag about talking to you…she's different._

Without even expecting it, the words began tumbling out of his mouth.

"Ever since I was little, I've loved two things, martial arts and dancing. To me, they were like two sides of the same coin. They both required discipline and strength and self-control. The only thing was, martial arts is always used to defeat your opponent, whereas dancing…you work with your partner so that you can each be stronger and better together. When I was little, I was allowed to do both, but as I grew older, Akito decided that I shouldn't dance anymore. He said it was because the risk was too high that my partner and I would accidentally get too close and I would transform. He said for the sake of the family, I shouldn't be selfish and indulge myself in these childish practices."

He laughed bitterly, "While what he said may have been partly true, the real reason he made that decision was because he saw that it was what I truly loved and it made me happy. Whenever I danced, I was free, free from the Sohma's…free from him. And of course, he couldn't allow that, especially after he found out that I had been accepted to a foreign dance school. I was on the brink of escaping all of this, and then he ordered that I stop dancing."

He abruptly stopped, and then made an effort to smile, "So here I am…taking law courses at a local community college where Akito can keep an eye on me, of course."

Tohru was silent, but when she turned to him, her eyes were filled with tears, "Yuki, that must have been…so terrible…to give up the one thing you love. I'm sorry…I truly am."

Yuki was stunned by the simplicity of her words. He had expected the usual torrent of words from her. Yet somehow, those few words touched him in a way he couldn't even describe. For years, he had kept this subject buried under, dismissing it as just another of those, "that's the way it is" things. But her words reminded him of how great his loss really was, and how much he really did resent Akito's decision.

_How can this girl understand more about me than even I do?_

She was apologizing again, "I'm sorry, Yuki, for bringing this up. I've reminded you of something that's made you sad. I really didn't mean to bring up something that you didn't want to think about…oh, why can't I do anything right?"

Yuki looked at her. She didn't even realize how much she had just helped him. Surprising himself, he hesitantly took her hand, "Come on, I want to show you something."

She paused before giving him a smile, "Ok, let's go."

----- ----- -----

A/N: Yay, done with another chappie. Thanks again to all of you nice people out there who made me feel so much better after that weird incident. Unfortunately, I can't update for at least two weeks, but I will as soon as I can, OK? So please just be patient with me! I'll try my best!

By the way, in case any of you didn't recognize the song, it's by Bette Midler…Miller? something like that, and it's called "The Rose."

----- ----- -----

As promised, these replies include the last two chapters since I didn't do it last time.

**Jess-chan of the Nya Nya Neko**: Mr. Ota…haha, well most likely he won't be very important, although he might come up in the later chapters. Anyways, about that stupid creepy creep, I'm over that now, and so I'm going to concentrate on this story and updating as soon as possible! Yup…I guess we'll just be weird together!

**Stacey**: Haha…well I was way too scared to even think about doing that. Plus the fact that I don't have Caller ID. Yeah, so anyways, thanks for the review! I hope you keep reading!

**3xThreat**: Thanks a bunch! I'll try my best to get the updates up ASAP!

**Ixilight**: Sorry…Mr. Ota is just a character I made up out of the figments of my imagination. He probably won't play a major part in the story though, so it doesn't matter much. He will show up for a short period of time in the later chapters, but you'll have to wait and see what part he plays! Lol…yes, that guy was a total creep, but I'm over it now, so thanks!

**kitsunedemon**: Lol…yes that is a good point. Haha, yeah I would be scared to get in the car with Yuki too, but it would also kind of be exciting...kind of like riding on the back of a motorcycle. I thought about giving Yuki a motorcycle, but then I thought…uh…too weird, so I just went with the speed demon thing. Yes, I got tired of the evil teacher too, because there's only so many evil things a teacher can do, so I decided to go replace her with Mr. Ota, who's also kinda creepy in his own smiley way. Oh yeah, and about your last review, I'm sorry to say that I'm a little confused…Tohru has a secret? This is so embarrassing…I don't even remember that, and it's my own story. Haha, could you remind me of what you're talking about?

**Kyo's Favorite Kitty**: Haha, yes, I agree…I also hope I don't die. Breathe a sigh of relief because Akito said yes for his own malicious meanie-butt reasons, but he still said yes. Thanks for the lovely compliment on the characters. Hope you keep reading and that you liked this I'm glad you like the story and I'm sorry I haven't been able to get the dancing in there until now. It's just I wanted to wait until they knew each other better…haha don't worry, there will be more dancing to come!

**yoshiru**: Tohru is very clumsy…but that's what makes her so lovable! She wouldn't be the same if she didn't trip, babble, or do all of those other silly things that make her who she is. Um…I'm not sure what you really mean by your question about how many people wrote this story…as far as I know, I'm the only one writing this. Haha, anyways, thanks for reviewing, and I really like cats too. But I'm still a die-hard Yukiru fan!

**Chaka the Chopstick Ninja**: Haha, your reviews are always entertaining. You take karate? That's awesome! And thanks for your random tidbit on freaky phone calls…it was…interesting, lol. I do feel sorry for Kyo, but too bad for him, Tohru is Yuki's!

**inu-yuki lover100**: Hmm…well as to whether Akito is going to be a bad guy in this…the answer is…I don't know. Haha, I'm not sure yet, but for now, he is going to be the manipulative meanie person he is on the outside. As to whether or not I portray him as a desperate soul crying out for help in the later chapters…hmm, maybe. I do feel bad for him in some ways, but if everyone is friendly and nice, there won't be a story, now will there?

Sorry if I forgot anyone! If I did forget you, please just email me and yell at me for being a dum-dum.


	9. Forgotten

A/N: I'm really really really sorry about the delay in updating. Like I said, the two weeks before, I was on vacation, and afterwards, school started. I finally caught some time and so I'm going to just write as much as I can right now!

A "FLASH" indicates a memory, OK?

----- ----- -----

"Where are we going, Yuki?" Tohru asked breathlessly.

He gave her one of his smiles…a smile that transformed his face from handsome but cold to warm and even more beautiful, "It's a secret."

The path grew narrower as more and more trees appeared. Soon, they were all but surrounded by trees. And still he tugged on her hand.

Tohru was beginning to wonder if they were ever going to get wherever Yuki was taking her. Suddenly he stopped, and she kept walking, almost crashing into his back. Instead, she only squashed her nose against him.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Yuki."

"It's alright, Miss Honda. Now look."

He pointed past the last trees and Tohru looked in the direction his finger pointed. She was surprised to see a small cabin nestled between two trees.

"What is a house doing here in the middle of the woods?"

Yuki smiled, "It used to belong to the Sohma's, but it's been so long since anyone ever used it that it's long-forgotten. I told you that Akito forbid me to dance anymore, but I couldn't stop. It's like asking me to stop breathing."

He looked half-determined, half-afraid, "It's the only time I ever disobeyed Akito…Kyo, Shigure, they've all but broken free from him, but I'm still like a caged bird. I have no freedom…except for this…I've never told anyone about this…I was afraid somehow Akito would find out and take this away from me.

He looked down and said softly, "I've never told anyone…except you."

_How strange, to see Yuki, usually so sure of himself, so vulnerable, so helpless, yet so brave._

Tohru's heart went out to him, and she had to push her tears of sympathy back. She knew Yuki would reject pity. So instead, she smiled her brightest smile, "Don't worry, Yuki, I'll never tell anyone about your secret. If I did, it wouldn't be a secret anymore, would it? You can trust me, after all, we're friends, right?"

Yuki was struck by her words.

_Friends, we're friends? I've never had a real friend before…_

But he was wrong.

_FLASH_!

_He heard someone crying…he ran to see who it was. He turned the corner and was surprised to see a girl his age sobbing bitterly. He quickly ducked behind the bushes…Akito had said he wasn't to talk to anyone. But her cries sounded so sad…he approached her slowly. _

"_What's wrong?"_

_Still sobbing, the little girl pointed towards the slide. A mean-looking boy was standing there, holding a ball and smirking._

"_Is that your ball?"_

_She nodded and finally looked up. Her eyes glistened with tears…like stars._

_Yuki made up his mind right then to get the ball back for her._

_He ran over to the slide, his short legs trotting at a quick pace._

_The older boy was still smirking. But five minutes later, he wasn't, after Yuki had delivered a flying kick to his head. Instead, he was the one crying, and the girl giggled happily as Yuki handed her the ball._

_She gazed at him with her huge brown eyes and his amethyst eyes stared back. _

"_Wanna be my friend?"_

_FLASH!_

Yuki dropped to his knees in the dirt and clutched his head. A searing pain had torn through his head, but it slowly passed. Tohru cried out, "Yuki!"

He quickly got up, and made an effort to smile reassuringly, "I'm fine, I just…uhh…tripped over that branch over there."

Ever gullible, Tohru nodded but still looked at him in concern, her brows furrowing worriedly, "Are you sure you're all right?"

This time, he really did feel better. He nodded and took her hand, "Come on, let's go inside."

----- ----- -----

He pushed open the door and it creaked a little. Flicking on the lights, Yuki smiled. This was home…this was where he could be himself.

Tohru looked around in amazement. The interior of the cabin was much bigger than it looked from the outside. The walls were hung with huge mirrors and the floor was glossy smooth. There were fluffy pillows thrown around the corners of the room and finally, a CD player along the innermost wall. Next to it were shelves stacked full of CD's.

"Did…did you do this all by yourself, Yuki?"

He said "yes" casually, but inwardly, he was very proud of this room. He had earned the money, which in itself was a very difficult task, since Akito was constantly following his activities. Through a few deft lies, he had managed to fool Akito, and saved up his money. He had bought everything in the room and assembled it by himself. He had not needed any help from the Main House. He had done it by himself... and so it was truly his.

Yuki strode over to the CD player and pressed the PLAY button.

Soft music flowed out. He then darkened the lights. Then, walking over to Tohru, he bent his head and whispered in her ear, "Dance with me."

Tohru's face blushed hotly at Yuki's closeness, and she was grateful for the darkened lights.

"I…I can't dance."

"Yes you can, you just don't know it yet. Dancing is from your heart, not your feet."

She hesitated, and then allowed him to take her hand and lead her into the center of the room. Tohru self-consciously realized that she could see herself and Yuki in the huge mirrors, but he whispered, "Don't look at those. Just close your eyes and feel the music."

_Leaves are wings that cannot fly,_

_Wings are leaves that have floated to Heaven._

_Loneliness is one person's madness,_

_Madness is everyone's loneliness._

_All alone, I wander here and there…_

Tohru leaned her head gently on Yuki's shoulder, careful not to get too close. This song…this feeling…it seemed so familiar.

_FLASH!_

_She wondered who that boy was…he had left before she had a chance to ask him his name. No one had ever stood up for her like that…the kids at school made fun of her because she didn't have a mom. They never let her play in their games. _

_She heard a "Plunk" at her window and quickly got up to see what had happened. Tohru couldn't believe her eyes. It was the boy from the playground. He beckoned silently to her to come out. Without stopping to consider the fact that her bedroom was on the second floor, or that she was afraid of heights, or what her father would do if he found out, she flung open the windows and slipped her shoes on. There was a thick vine growing near her window and she grasped it firmly. Closing her eyes, she shimmied down the vine but in the middle, she paused to look down. Her head reeled and she almost cried out._

_The boy's face took on an expression of alarm and he quickly climbed up the vine and offered her his hand. She took it gratefully and although he wasn't able to support her weight, his hand offered such comforting assurance that she was able to shimmy down the last bit of the vine. Giggling in exhilaration and excitement, she followed the boy as he started walking towards the playground. _

_The playground looked different in the moonlight, glowing almost as if it were magical. If she ignored the rust on the swings and the straggly bushes, she could pretend that this was a fairy-tale kingdom, just like the ones in the stories her daddy used to read her. _

_She tugged on the boy's hand, "Come on, let's go play!"_

_He didn't follow her though. Instead, he turned his sad eyes toward her and whispered, "Did you mean it? When you asked me to be your friend?"_

"_Of course I did, now come on!"_

_This time he did follow her, and soon, they were both laughing and shouting._

_FLASH!_

----- ----- -----

A/N: Ok, I hope that wasn't too confusing. From now on, since there's a new rule on how we can't post replies to the reviews in the chapter, I'll be posting them in my profile. Look for them in a couple of days! Also, the song/poem is my own version, translated from a song in Chinese with some revisions.


	10. Just One Big Happy Family!

A/N: Well, thank you again to all of you nice people who took the time to review. I hope that those of you who reviewed to Chapter 8 and 9 were able to see my responses in my profile because I will be replacing those shortly with the replies to this chapter's reviews…hopefully, there's lots and lots!

----- ----- -----

Tohru toppled over, and Yuki was barely able to catch her. Unfortunately, their bodies came too close and…

POOF!

Tohru groaned softly at the impact and Yuki squeaked in distress. He was being suffocated by Tohru's body weight.

She jumped up in alarm, "Oh, I'm so sorry…I can't believe, I…but my legs, they just gave out…I don't know why, it's so strange. One minute, we were dancing…" she blushed and hoped Yuki did not notice, "…and the next I just had this searing pain in my head and well…here we are."

Yuki looked at her in concern, "Are you alright, Miss Honda? This is all my fault, I should have taken you straight home, instead of tiring you out. Do you feel like you can walk? Here, lean on me."

Tohru shakily got up and reluctantly wrapped her arm around Yuki's neck for support, while he wrapped his arm around her waist. She was not fond of this close contact with him; her stomach always felt like it had decided to enroll in gymnastics class, and she felt slightly light-headed. Still she had no choice, as when she tried to take a step without his help, she immediately trembled and had to lean back.

Slowly and painfully, they were finally able to limp home. The door to the staircase creaked open and they began to climb the three flights of stairs. All of a sudden, a bizarre shriek of laughter pierced the air, and Tohru chuckled nervously, "Well, I guess someone is having a party, huh?"

Yuki nodded absently, thinking that that laughter was all too familiar, but hoping all the same that he was wrong.

_Oh please, don't let it be him…I wouldn't be surprised if it was though…the perfect end to the perfect day right? As if I needed any more excuses to lock myself in my room forever…_

Before they had even reached the bottom of their last flight of stairs, the door to their apartment was flung open and a man with silvery hair and swirling red and silver robes stepped out dramatically. His hair seemed to ripple, even though there was no wind, and he held his majestic pose for a long time as the two exhausted teens stared at him open-jawed. Unfortunately, he held it for too long and lost his balance, almost falling. Catching himself smoothly and not a bit concerned, he gracefully stepped towards them and offered an elegantly robed arm to each.

Tohru giggled, and nudged Yuki to take the man's other waiting arm. He glowered but did not want to seem rude in front of her so he reluctantly took it. The man quickly dropped Tohru's arm and swept Yuki up in an enormous embrace. In his excitement, he nearly toppled all three of them down the stairs but he seemed oblivious to this.

"BROTHER!" he exclaimed, "Oh, finally! You have accepted me! You have taken my humble offering of love and shown your forgiveness. Oh, this is the happiest day of my life…well, the second happiest (I can't forget the day that I first saw myself in a mirror, now can I?)…

The man talked animatedly, but Yuki hardly seemed to be listening. Instead, he was trying desperately to pry off the other man's tightly clamped arms from his middle. It was a losing struggle. Finally, he snapped, "Save it, Ayame, I'm tired, Miss Honda's tired, and you're standing in the way."

At the mention of Tohru's name, Ayame turned his attention to the girl, who was slowly backing up against the wall, a bit overwhelmed by this charismatic man.

_Charismatic? More like insane…I've never seen anyone retain such a high level of enthusiasm for such a long time…he must have drunk a million cups of coffee…_

Tohru jumped in surprise at the sound of his smooth voice addressing her, "Ah…Miss Honda? So you are the Tohru Honda that I've been hearing about?"

Ayame squinted at her for a second before clutching her hand dramatically and exclaiming, "Welcome to the family!"

----- ----- -----

Tohru was grateful as everyone sat down to dinner that Shigure had considerately ordered take-out so that she could take a break from cooking. "Everyone" included quite a lot of people. There was Ayame, who turned out to be Yuki's brother.

_What a surprise…well, not really, since they do actually look like brothers, but they act so differently that I almost didn't notice._

Besides Ayame, there were also Momiji, Hatsuharu, Kisa, and Hiro; the last two were inseparable, so that Tohru thought of them as twins, even though it was clear that Hiro had the biggest crush on Kisa. They were all Sohma's and even more, they were all members of the Zodiac. Tohru had been quite overwhelmed by all of the new people crammed into the small apartment, but everyone had treated her cordially, especially Momiji and Kisa, who had taken an especial liking to Tohru's naturally mild and calm manner. Tohru was flattered, but she did not realize that this was no surprise considering the usually turbulent atmosphere of the Sohma household; she was a welcome breeze of fresh air.

Speaking of fresh air, in the middle of their dinner, just as Momiji had overturned a cup of juice in his enthusiastic endeavors to hug Tohru, the door was flung open and a disgruntled Kyo was dragged in by a girl dressed in a green dress with big innocent eyes. The eyes immediately squinted suspiciously though, when they saw Tohru.

"So you're the girl that everyone's been talking about, huh? Even my precious Kyo—"

"—I'm not your precious Kyo—"

The girl silenced him with a lethal glare and then returned her gaze to Tohru. All of a sudden, she tightened her grip on Kyo's arm, and looked upward in determination, "Well, I won't let you steal him away from me! He's mine, and if I have to beat out every girl in the competition, well…I will!"

Tohru looked in surprise at this girl. _Steal Kyo? What is she talking about? Oh no…I hope I haven't given everyone the wrong impression!_

Waves of panic swept over Tohru, and her agitation only worsened when she saw Kyo's face was tomato red.

Shigure, seeing the situation, chuckled to himself but quickly intervened, "Kagura, no one is trying to steal Kyo…we all know he's yours."

This earned him a fierce glare from Kyo, who didn't dare to do anything else with Kagura still keeping a threatening grip on his arm.

Shigure continued, "Come sit down with us, you're wasting all this good food by letting it get cold."

Kagura cast a wary glance towards Tohru and then literally dragged Kyo to the table, "Come one, Kyo, you're keeping everyone waiting…EAT!"

She picked up a giant leek and stuffed it whole into Kyo's mouth, which caused him to promptly faint from the smell.

"KYO!"

----- ----- -----

A/N: Well, I know this was a short chapter, but I didn't want to leave the delay between updates too long, so I'm posting this. Don't worry, I'll try my best to make the next one extra long to make up for this one! Gracias, merci, xie xie, and thank you in all those other languages that I don't know to you wonderful reviewers! I love you, love you, love you!


	11. Visitors

A/N: Agh…I keep saying I'll update sooner, but it just isn't happening. I'm so sorry…school is killing me! Anyways, we have a four-day weekend, so I finally caught some time.

----- ----- -----

_Whew…today was a big day, huh Mom? So much has happened...and I still have to study for tomorrow's test—_

Shigure poked his head in, "Hey, Tohru, about ready to go to sleep? I noticed you were looking a little tired."

Tohru smiled sweetly and replied, "Oh, it's kind of you to worry, but really, there's no need. I'm not tired at all—yawn—see? Not at all…"

Shigure shook his head but relented, "All right, you're too stubborn for me. Just try to get some sleep, OK?"

Tohru nodded, and stifled another yawn, "I will, don't worry. Good-night, Shigure."

After he left, Tohru did not go back to her studying right away. Instead, she thought…

_That was nice of Shigure to worry about me…almost like Daddy…or how he used to be. I feel like this is my home…like I belong with these people. But how can that be? I'm just being silly. After all, they're strangers to me…there's still so much I don't know about them. _

…_But I'd like to find out._

Tohru cut herself off right there and forced her attention back to the book that lay sprawled on the desk in front of her.

_Concentrate, Tohru, concentrate!_

Just then, Kyo passed by her room and looked in. He was surprised to see a little figure still sitting at her desk, valiantly battling drowsiness, but fighting a losing battle.

He was about to keep walking right past, but something about the way she looked so small and fragile tugged at his heart. He knocked softly, and then cursed himself for doing so.

Tohru had been so absorbed in her studying that she did not hear Kyo until he knocked. She jumped in surprise and banged her knee against her desk. She winced in pain, but waved her hand to show that she was all right.

"Oh, Kyo, I didn't hear you there. Hahaha…well, obviously, you saw that. Not that I don't want you to be here. You're welcome to come whenever you want…haha. This is your apartment, after all. And you don't have to knock…"

Kyo watched her silently, fascinated and a bit scared at the same time that this girl could be so energetic and apologize in so many ways in less than a minute.

Tohru slowly trailed off when she noticed Kyo's intent gaze on her.

"So…do you need anything? I mean…I can whip something up for you if…"

He cut her off and said brusquely, "No, I'm fine. I just wanted to see whose light was on this late. It's making it hard for everyone else to sleep. You should turn it off and go to bed."

With that, he strode off to his own room, wondering why he had knocked and thrown himself into such an idiotic situation.

Tohru was left a bit baffled, but then immediately felt guilty.

_Oh no…I've been keeping everyone up with my studying. How could I have been so selfish and inconsiderate! And when they all have been so nice to me and helped me get settled! AHH…Mom…I'm such a fool, why don't I think of these things before someone points them out?_

Just as panic was slowly building up inside of Tohru, her third visitor of the night walked into her room.

"Oh, Yuki, I'm so sorry I've been keeping you up with my studying! You should have told me before! I can't believe I've been so inconsiderate!"

Yuki looked at her in puzzlement. He had stopped by to ask her for an extra pen, but her rapid-fire speech had left him reeling in confusion.

"Has that stupid cat been talking to you? Don't listen to him, Miss Honda. He's just jealous you have such good study habits."

Tohru seemed reassured that she had not caused a great disturbance, so Yuki was about to proceed in asking for the pen, but she started babbling again.

"Thank you, Yuki. You're always so kind and even though I know sometimes I can be such a nuisance, you're always so patient with me."

Yuki shook his head, and replied, "You shouldn't be so modest, Miss Honda. Your presence has made this apartment much friendlier…much more like a home."

Tohru blushed at this unexpected praise, "Oh but I—I"

Yuki strode across her room in two steps and gently covered her mouth with his hand, "Shh…shh…" he whispered.

She nodded in understanding and he slowly let go.

"No more studying, though, all right, Miss Honda? You're working yourself far too hard. Just relax, you'll be fine."

She nodded again and Yuki smiled at her, "Good, now, turn off the light and go to sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

He turned towards the door, but at the door, he turned again and smiled, "Good-night, Miss Honda."

----- ----- -----

As Yuki was heading to the couch, he realized he still didn't have a pen.

He should have been irritated, but instead,he found himself remembering the softness of her cheek against his palm.

He found himself remembering her slight and fragile her body was when he held her while they were dancing…

He remembered the smell of her hair…a little like the strawberries that his mother once picked for him, and a little like the perfume of the jasmine flowers like that night at the playground.

…the playground?

FLASH!

----- ----- -----

A/N: Ok, so I know this chapter wasn't that much longer than the last one…but at least it got some plot going at the end. The next chapter will move along…and maybe MAYBE we'll find out more of the big picture. Haha…I know just about as much as you about the next chapter because it's still unwritten and I don't really know where the story will take me next. It kind of just writes itself…so, don't forget to check my profile page for the answers to the reviews of last chapter!


	12. The Rainbow After the Rain

A/N: Ok, I finally got those replies out there, so check my profile. And this is again an extended weekend so that's why I'm able to update. So you can thank Halloween and teacher-only days for that! Which reminds me, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

----- ----- -----

"_Hahahaha, you can't catch me!"_

_Yuki was bewildered by this game. What was this girl doing, prancing around and urging him to chase her?_

_Abruptly, the girl noticed his confused stare and she giggled again, "Come on, silly. Don't you know how to play tag?"_

"_T—t—tag?" What's that, he wondered._

_The girl's expression changed from amusement to curiosity._

"_So you really don't know?"_

_He shook his head, a bit embarrassed since it seemed like this "tag" that she was talking about was something everyone should know how to play. Yet he honestly had never heard of this game before. The only games he knew how to play were the ones that Akito had taught him. He didn't like those games very much._

_The girl stared at him incredulously, but then smiled and said, "I'll teach you."_

_----- ----- -----_

_Five minutes later, two deliriously happy children were chasing each other around the playground. Yuki had never felt so free. Faster and faster they ran, the scent of jasmine flowers filling his senses until he thought perhaps this was what Heaven would be like. His legs ached a bit, and he gulped for air, but still, he felt as if he could go on forever like this until…_

_POOF!_

_The little girl had tripped and instinctively, as Yuki reached out to steady her, she fell towards his arms. The impact left them both breathless for a second, but when the girl finally was able to look around, she realized her playmate of only seconds ago was no longer to be seen._

_Yuki had, in fact, turned into a rat. He had taken advantage of her moment of confusion to scuttle behind a nearby bush. His cheeks burned in shame. Now she would never want to be his friend. He was a freak, just like Akito had said. A freak who didn't deserve friends._

_The soft sobbing of the girl reached his ears. Yuki was baffled. Why was she crying? Chancing a peek from the safety of his bush, he glimpsed the girl, stumbling a bit as she got up, but paying no attention. Instead, she was gazing around, staring into the inky darkness, looking for something…for him?_

_With a stab of remorse, Yuki realized that the girl was crying…because of him. He had made her cry. Without any further thought of the punishment Akito was sure to inflict on him or the possible scorn he would receive once the girl caught sight of him, he scampered to the girl's side as quickly as his short legs could carry him. _

_The girl flinched at the touch of something furry on her bare ankles and blindly felt around her. She touched a soft furry ball and picked it up in her hands gently. Bringing her soft furry ball up closer to her eyes, she found that a pair of violet eyes stared back at her._

_She gasped, "It's…it's you."_

_Yuki nodded sadly, knowing what was to come next. She would toss him away, and run home. He would never see her again. _

_Instead, she whispered, "Is it really you?"_

_Before Yuki could reply, POOF!_

_He turned away and quickly pulled on his clothes while the girl turned her back to him._

_Yuki straightened up and said, "Now you know why no one wants to be my friend. I'm a freak."_

_The girl whirled around and exclaimed excitedly, "That's not true. I'm your friend, aren't I?"_

_He gaped at her in amazement. This wasn't at all what Akito said would happen._

"_I…I thought you wouldn't want to be my friend anymore, now that you knew."_

_She looked at him in confusion, "Why?"_

_Her simple question floored him. Why? He didn't know either. _

…_because Akito said so._

…_because no one else has ever wanted to be my friend._

…_because…why?_

_And suddenly, Yuki's face was covered in tears. The girl knelt down beside him and took his hand in her own._

_She whispered softly, "My mommy used to say that when a person cries, his tears are like rain, washing everything away, until all the pain is gone. And then the rainbow comes out. The rainbow will always come out."_

_FLASH! _

Yuki clutched his head in pain and had to bite his lip to keep from crying out. What were these feelings that flooded over him? He felt like there was something important that he knew, but was hidden from him. A thin veil cast over something…darker. It hid from him. Frustration overtook the pain, and Yuki found himself desperately clutching for what he had almost touched with this fingertips. But it was all slipping away.

Sighing in defeat, Yuki rubbed his hand over his tired eyes and resolved to get more sleep. "_This lack of sleep is driving me nuts._"

Yet the last thing he thought of before slipping into a dreamless slumber was, "_The rainbow always comes out…"_

----- ----- -----

Akito was restless. He called for Hatori. As always, the faithful doctor arrived promptly. Akito smiled insidiously and beckoned with a pale finger. Hatori reluctantly approached closer until Akito's cold hand grasped his hair and pulled his ear next to his mouth.

"Tell me, Hatori, how is my dear Yuki doing? He hasn't come to visit me in so long. Is he well?"

Hatori inwardly shuddered at the icy hate of Akito's voice, but replied fluidly, "Yes, Yuki is well, but he has been occupied by homework and so he—"

Abruptly, Akito shoved Hatori away from him with surprising strength, "Did I ASK for a reason? I know you're all eager to see me die so that you don't have to come up with such excuses anymore. I know you're all eager to—"

Hatori interrupted, "No, that's not true, we just—"

"SILENCE!" Akito roared in rage.

Suddenly, he calmed down and smiled again. It was disquieting.

"But perhaps…perhaps I should visit my dear Yuki, since he is too busy to visit me. I am a reasonable man. I'm willing to make sacrifices for my family. If only you could all remember that…the sacrifices that I am willing to make for you. All for you."

Hatori nodded, "Of course, Akito. We know you do everything for the best of the family."

"Good." With that, Akito flicked his hand and dismissed Hatori, but not before adding, "So, it's settled then. I'll be paying them a visit tomorrow."

----- ----- -----

A/N: UH-OH! Whenever Akito comes on the scene, nothing good ever happens. Eek…I'm scared to think of what might happen next. Oh well, we'll see. Anyways, I'm glad to be done with another update, and as always, any suggestions, criticisms, etc. you have, just review and I will have the replies up…eventually.


	13. Under His Eyes

A/N: Long time no see! Haha…I've been _wanting_ to update but I haven't had time till now. Ok, on with the story!

----- ----- -----

The breeze tickled the leaves outside and the birds chirped cheerfully. Yuki blinked in surprise. His hair was slightly tousled as he ran his fingers through the loose strands and made a noble attempt to sit up. Instead, he only succeeded in wedging himself even more firmly into the sagging couch. He sighed in frustration.

At that choice moment, Kyo emerged from his room looking alert and even unusually cheerful. The sight of his smirking face only served to irritate Yuki more.

"Having trouble getting up, Prince Yuki?"

Yuki attempted to give him an icy stare but only managed a furious glare that amused Kyo even more. Rather than trying to pick a fight, he offered a hand to Yuki. Suspiciously, Yuki took it, expecting something unpleasant, but Kyo only pulled him up and continued smiling in that irking way.

Yuki would have done something to wipe that irritating grin off the cat's face but Tohru's clear voice cut through his thoughts, "Breakfast time, everyone!"

Turning, he pushed past Kyo and stalked towards the kitchen in a foul mood. Tohru looked up as she heard Yuki's quick footsteps approaching and smiled cheerfully, "Good morning, Yuki! What will it be? Eggs or pancakes? Or both?"

Yuki made an effort to smile at her but had a sinking feeling it had come out as a grimace, "I think I'll take the eggs."

Tohru noted his moody expression but decided not to push the matter, "Ok, eggs it is then!"

Kyo sauntered in and announced, "I'll have the pancakes please…"

Shigure emerged from behind his newspaper in surprise. He raised an eyebrow and thought to himself, "_Since when did Kyo start having manners?_"

After serving Kyo, Tohru sat down to her own breakfast and smiled cheerfully at everyone around the table, blissfully oblivious to the rays of animosity Yuki was emanating towards the inexplicably smug Kyo.

Shigure glanced around the table and cleared his throat importantly, "Ahem, ahem."

The other three looked at him in surprise.

He paused a moment for dramatic effect, and then said solemnly, "Akito is coming today."

Yuki's gaze fell back to his eggs as if he had not heard anything at all while the smile of Kyo's face quickly disappeared. Only Tohru remained cheerful, "Oh, well, I've been looking forward to meeting Akito. I've heard so much about him!"

The three men's eyes met in a rare moment of understanding. Tohru could not possibly _comprehend _the implications of a visit from Akito. Kyo pushed his pancakes away and stomped to his room, slamming the door behind him. Tohru winced at the loud noise and furrowed her brow in concern.

"I hope Kyo's not too—I mean…"

"Don't worry about that stupid cat, Miss Honda. He's just…a bit taken by surprise by this news. We all are."

"Oh, well…haha ok, if you say so, Yuki. But, um…who's going to greet Akito. I mean, I would stay home from school but I have a big test and—"

Tohru's concerns were interrupted by a loud slam as the front door swung open with surprising force. Yuki paled at the sight of the man standing at the doorway. He had stood up at the loud noise but quickly sat back down as if an invisible hand had just pushed down on him with unmerciful force.

Shigure smiled a smile that Tohru recognized very well. She had often seen it on her father's face when he had been greeting important executives in black suits…a meaningless smile. This smile faltered a moment on Shigure's face, but he soon smiled even wider and said, "Hello, 'Tori. It's nice of you to drop by so early in the morning."

The man named Hatori nodded curtly at Shigure's warning, but with no malice. Instead, Tohru thought his face looked a little bit like Shigure's…sad and a bit of something else she could not name.

"Well…I see that all of your manners have disintegrated considerably since I allowed this…girl…to stay with you. Aren't you going to invite us in when we've already come so far?"

The icy voice penetrated the silence, yet as far as Tohru could see, the man called Hatori had not opened his mouth.

_Wow…does that mean he's one of those optometrists? Wait…no no…that's not the name. Um…paleontologist? No…OH! Ventriloquist! He must be able to talk without moving his lips! _

Tohru's face was glazed over in concentration and she did not notice Hatori had stepped aside to allow another man to step in first. Only when he leaned his face close to hers did she look up. She saw a face matching Yuki's in beauty and icy perfection…but there was no mercy in those eyes. While Yuki's eyes laughed and sang, this man's eyes only pierced her own. He was studying her with those eyes.

Tohru thought to herself…_So this is Akito? I see why Yuki has struggled for so long to escape him. This man is…like a black hole. I feel like all of my thoughts are laid bare…like he's seen me and like…I'm not worthy. But who is he to look at me like that? He doesn't even know me._

With that, Tohru flung up her head and looked back into Akito's eyes. All four men were surprised.

Shigure and Yuki had never seen anyone stand up to Akito's gaze…no matter how tall or strong or wise or proud a man might be, beside Akito's frail body, their strength became clumsiness, their wisdom failed them, and they felt inferior under his unrelenting eyes. Yet here was meek Tohru not shrinking away or faltering. Her cheeks blazed red and she was trembling but her eyes looked back at his and her fists were clenched tightly to her sides.

For the first time, Shigure and Yuki felt real hope in Akito's presence. And all because of this _girl_…

_She's different._

_She's different._

Hatori thought of a girl who had once looked at him like that, who had even stood up to Akito. She was not afraid…Yet in the end, wasn't her courage the thing that destroyed her? Only the foolish were not afraid of the Sohmas, of Akito…Still, looking at this girl wearing an apron with red strawberries printed on it and her feet in fuzzy bunny slippers looking at Akito with so much determination made him almost want to…laugh.

_She's different._

Akito was reeling in shock and fury. How could this simple girl look at him like that? Like…he was something…_dirty._ How dare she meet his gaze as if she was equal to him, how dare she, when she could not possibly understand _whom_ he was. And why did the others simply stand there looking at her like she was the greatest thing they had ever seen. Wasn't _he_ their savior? Wasn't _he_ the one who had sacrificed _everything _for them?

----- ----- -----

A/N: Wow, finally another update, huh? Ok, umm…review you wonderful people! I haven't updated in so long that I don't even know if this chapter follows with the flow of the previous chapters…any comments would be VERY helpful. Thanks for all your patience!


	14. Heaven After All

A/N: Ok, I don't even remember the last time I updated, but…here's Chapter 14!

----- ----- -----

Akito regained his composure and smiled regally and condescendingly at the upturned girlish face. Then, without a word, he swept past Tohru and seated himself next to Yuki at the breakfast table.

Immediately, Tohru felt foolish. _He...ignored me, dismissed me. _The coldness she was left with seemed all too familiar.

Yuki's newfound hope was rapidly shrinking in Akito's proximity. _Without even saying a word, he's caught me again. I was just fooling myself. I'll always be a bird in his grasp; no matter how much I struggle, I can never escape. A bird without wings…how can a bird without wings ever hope to fly?_

Any uncertainty that had lingered in Akito's mind about his control over Yuki disappeared as he watched Yuki's face with intent concentration. He had noticed the look on Yuki's face when that stupid girl had tried to stand up to him. It was…an awe, an admiration, that was only to be reserved for _him_ alone. Not that simple, ignorant creature. What did _she _know? And even worse, something else had crept into Yuki's face. He couldn't exactly pin down what it was and it had unsettled him. For once, he could not read the mouse's mind. But now, it was completely gone…and replaced by that familiar fear and uncertainty. It left Yuki's face looking boyish and vulnerable.

_As it always will be…_

Hatori was not watching the scene between Yuki and Akito. It would end as it always did. Akito would murmur something that would break Yuki and he would drop his head and his silvery hair would swing forward to hide the fear and pain. Akito _knew_ the Zodiacs. He knew what would break them. He tormented them and then allowed a moment of respite, even joy, before stripping it away, leaving them even more empty than before.

But these thoughts simply floated through Hatori's mind. He had long accepted it. That was how it had always been. He now studied the girl who had lost much of her former confidence and was watching Yuki with an expression of concern. Something about the tilt of her head…the luminosity of her eyes…they seemed so familiar. He remembered eyes like those…staring at him beseechingly, reproachfully. Cries filled his head.

FLASH!

"_No…please don't! He's my friend, my FRIEND!"_

"_I'll never forget, even if you take my memories away, I'll find them. I'll never forget."_

"_Please, Hatori…"_

"_Hatori, don't…"_

"_Hatori…"_

"_HATORI!"_

FLASH!

Akito was staring at Hatori impatiently.

"What's wrong with you?" he demanded imperiously. Hatori had clutched the countertop with fingers white with tension. The other hand cradled his head.

"Nothing…I'm fine."

Akito sighed. "Well, clearly, you are not fit to accompany me anymore today. I wouldn't want to get sick from whatever it is that's ailing you. You're supposed to be my _doctor_, Hatori, not my patient. What a pity…when we were having such _fun_, isn't that right Yuki?"

Without waiting for an answer, he pushed himself up from the table with noticeable effort but waved away Shigure's offered hand.

"I'm _fine._ Just help that useless person out and then get out of my sight."

Shigure obediently took Hatori's arm and helped him out the door.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

Hatori grimaced and mumbled something that made Shigure chuckle.

"That hurts, 'Tori. That really hurts. Well, I'll be seeing you, I guess. Toodles!"

----- ----- -----

The rest of the day passed in a blur for Tohru. She went through the test without even thinking about the answer choices. Luckily, her studying had paid off and she simply chose the letter that seemed the most familiar.

She tried looking for Yuki after her class was over but could not find him anywhere. _He seemed so unhappy after Akito's visit. I wonder if he even went to class…_

Troubled by these thoughts, she trudged back to the apartment, only to find it darkened and no one home. A note from Shigure read, "I'm off on a few errands, will be back in time for dinner!"

Kyo too had scribbled something that took Tohru a few minutes to decipher. It read, "Out with that damn Kagura. She's dragging me to buy leeks or something…"

But try as she might, Tohru could not find any note from Yuki. She began to worry as the sky outside continued to darken and there was still no sign of him. _Where could he be? It's not like him to just run off without leaving a note…he must have been really upset._

At 6 o'clock, Tohru began to cook some miso soup and when she finished, she left a note saying, "I'll be back soon. Don't worry. There's miso soup already cooked and you can heat up some bread from the night before."

Then she headed out to find Yuki.

At first, she had no idea where to look and simply wandered block after block, hoping to catch a glimpse of silvery hair.

Finally, after two hours of futile searching, she thought, _Of course, I've been so stupid. Where would I go when I'm most upset? Somewhere I can be alone…somewhere no one knows about…_

She headed toward the path that led to the woods.

As she plodded on, her own impulsiveness began to trouble her. _I don't even know the way…what if I get lost? These woods could be miles deep…I'd never be found. Shigure and Kyo and Yuki…they'd have nothing to eat for breakfast. Although there is some fish left in the refrigerator and some stew…FOCUS TOHRU! Oh, what was I THINKING? There could be wild animals…bears! Snakes…spiders…FROGS!_

By this time, Tohru was clutching her arms tightly around herself in an effort to stop shivering in cold and fear. Her heart nearly stopped when she heard footsteps approaching from the other way.

She found herself rooted to the spot, petrified in panic. _What should I do, what should I DO?_ Desperately, Tohru struggled to work her mind…instead, she only managed to utter a high squeak.

A dark figure emerged. _This is it, Mom. I can't believe that I'm really just going to be a nameless corpse on the side of the road…Poor Daddy…he'll always wonder what happened to me._

The figure approached, closer and closer.

It reached in its pocket for…

A FLASHLIGHT?

Tohru was bewildered. This was not how it was supposed to go. In the movies, the killer always liked to whack the poor innocent victim over the head with a bat or a cane or at least a cucumber. But a _flashlight?_

Perhaps this was an extra vicious killer…

Tohru squeezed her eyes shut in anticipation for the blow.

An arc of light swung over her face.

_Wow, that was it? That didn't hurt at all. And here I am, in Heaven already. Maybe I can see Mom now._

"Miss Honda?"

_Hmmm…that's funny, that voice sounds a lot like Yuki's. Oh no! Maybe the extra vicious killer got him too! That's HORRIBLE!_

"Miss Honda, open your eyes. It's me."

"Huh? Oh, YUKI! It's you. I can't believe it! Did that horrible killer whack you on the head with his flashlight too? You know, it's strange. I can't believe it didn't hurt at all. I mean, one minute, I can see him coming at me, and then the next minute, I feel light all around me. I didn't feel the blow at all."

Yuki looked perplexed for a second and then quickly turned around and walked behind a tree.

_Hmmm…Heaven isn't what I expected. It actually looks an awful like the woods I was just in. Maybe this is just the lobby though…_

Tohru walked around the tree to discover Yuki bent over double, nearly choking on his laughter.

He saw Tohru hovering worriedly over him and swallowed the last gasps of laughter with an effort.

"I'm…hahaha…sorry Miss Honda. But you see, hahaha, we're not really in Heaven. These are the woods."

Tohru stared at him in confusion.

"There was no killer, Miss Honda. That was just me, with a flashlight. I was at my cabin, and I heard some noise outside so I came out to see what was happening. And then I saw you."

"Oh."

"But Miss Honda, I do have to ask, what are you doing all alone out in the woods at this time? You shouldn't be by yourself when it's so dark. There are all sorts of wild animals around here."

"I…well…you didn't come home Yuki. And so I got worried. So I left Shigure and Kyo a note and then I came out to find you."

Yuki smiled warmly, "You shouldn't have troubled yourself, Miss Honda. But I'm glad you did. I think I'm done for the day anyways. Would you like to walk home together?"

Tohru nodded happily, "Yes, let's go home."

He clasped her cold hand in his warm one and together they walked out of the darkness, led by the soft glow of the flashlight.

As Yuki felt her hand slowly warming up, he felt the icy walls that Akito's visit had built up around his heart slowly melting. He had spent the whole day dancing but no matter how he worked himself into a sweat, he felt his insides remain the same: numb, cold, empty. But now, with her simple presence, even the woods seemed aglow with life and spirit and hope.

_Maybe she was right…and this is Heaven after all._

A/N: I liked how the end of this turned out but I really was disappointed that Akito's visit ended the way it did. I was hoping to get more stuff in. But at least Hatori's part got in. Ok, so I don't really know when the next update will be and I'm very thankful that all of you are still reading...hopefully. Please review!


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